


The Greatest Show Unearthed

by Madangel19



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, And angst, Blood and Gore, Eye Gouging, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Human Experimentation, Kinda, Lots of torture, Murder, Nudity, Robot/Human Relationships, Suspense, Torture, Unplanned Pregnancy, it'll have a happy ending, lots of feels, lots of trigger warnings, robot x human lovemaking, the Walter family get themselves in a bad situation, the villain is lowkey based off the xenomorph from the Alien series, there's rape near the end, very violent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-07-29 19:42:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 50,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7697032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madangel19/pseuds/Madangel19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tabitha never wanted to go to the strange new circus, but her sister dragged her along. Now, she's living a nightmare as she finds herself joining this strange circus. There is a beacon of hope in the strange Walter manor and its wonderful family. With their help, she can find a way to save herself and everyone she love<br/>This is a horrible summary XD</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Brace yourselves for a wild ride.  
> I started this fic a year ago in my iPhone notes app. I felt that it was finally time to share it :)

"Are you sure this is the place, Amanda?"

"Of course, Tabitha. The poster said it was deep in the forest."

The sisters stood in front of an old circus entrance. Tabitha stood fearfully behind her elder sister, Amanda, who only gazed in wonder at the rusty gated entrance. Behind the entrance was a huge circus tent that led to even more tents behind it. It was a huge circus, but it looked empty. Amanda wondered why no one else was there, but she eventually shrugged the thought away and approached.

"I don't feel good about this place, Amanda. Perhaps we should go back. I don't think anyone is here," Tabitha muttered. Amanda rolled her eyes and pulled her younger sister along.

"Don't be a wimp, Tabby. This'll be fun. Uncle T's Greatest Show On Earth promises fun and joy for all," Amanda said happily while pulling out a poster that showed a strange hooded man whose slightly manic smile could be seen from under a top hat.

Tabitha shuddered when she saw the poster. Something didn't seem right with Uncle T. Tabitha noticed a very, very black shine to his skin. It was almost like the night sky. It didn't look right, but it was probably the way the poster was colored.

Amanda pushed the gate open with ease and headed for the big tent. Tabitha reluctantly followed her.

A spotlight suddenly shone down on the sisters as they entered the tent and a maniacal laugh filled the air. Tabitha squeaked in fright and hid behind her elder sister.

"What do we have here? Two young circus-goers? How wonderful!" A loud disembodied voice filled the air.

Amanda looked around excitedly and caught sight of a tall figure approaching from the shadows. The man wore a pitch black trench coat that hid his body well. A large, black top hat adorned his head, hiding his features. He walked with a decorative cane. Tabitha noticed the along black claws he had hands for hands but guessed they were part of a costume. The figure stopped in front of them and seemed to inspect them. Amanda smiled and greeted the figure.

"It's nice to meet you, Uncle T. My name is Amanda," she chimed happily.

"It's an honor having such lovely guests. Thank you for coming here, darling," Uncle T purred as he took her hand and kissed it.Amanda blushed at the act. Uncle T's gaze soon fell on Tabitha.

"And who is this lovely little lady?" He asked with a soft chuckle.

"This is Tabitha. She's a spoilsport. I made her come," Amanda blurted out. Tabitha glared at her but stopped when Uncle T stood right in front of her. She looked up and saw glowing yellow eyes staring down at her from under the hat. Tabitha inched back in fear and stopped when Uncle T patted her shoulder.

"You'll enjoy my circus, darling. You and your sister will have a grand old time at my circus. It's to die for," he said in a sinister tone.  
Tabitha was filled with fear a the statement while Amanda only gave a happy cheer.

"Yes! When does the show start?" Amanda asked. Uncle T laughed and removed his hat. Tabitha gasped. What she saw was not a costume. It was too real. His skin was darker than the night sky, making his venomous yellow eyes stand out. He had what looked like raised bumps for a nose and eyebrows. His features were sharpened which made him appear demon-like. Six, long tentacle-like dreadlocks were neatly combed back on his angular head. He smiled, revealing off-white crooked teeth.

"The show starts now," he hissed. Tabitha glanced at Amanda whose smile slowly disappeared as a second laugh, a girl's laugh, filled the air. Before she could react, she felt a striking pain at her head and all went dark.

 

Tabitha awoke with a start in what looked like a maze of tents. She was confused at first but then realized what had happened.

"W-What's going on? Amanda?" She asked. She looked around for her sister and saw that she was not there. What the hell was going on?

The sound of running caught her attention. Hopeful that it was Amanda, she looked up and frowned at who was running at her. A strange pink-skinned girl with hair like cotton candy ran up to her. A huge smile lit up the girl's features as she stopped before her. Piercing blue eyes filled with excitement and cruelty stared intently at Tabitha. She noticed the bright blue dress decorated with balloons and realized that the girl was a possible member of the circus.

"What's going on? Where's my sister?" Tabitha questioned. The girl laughed an all too familiar laugh and handed her a piece of paper.

"We're playing a game. You and your sister are the main contestants. Uncle T loves playing games with his guests," the girl chimed. She was far too happy in a place like this.

"What do I do?" Tabitha asked.

"Read the note, silly! I have to go now. I hope we'll meet again later," the girl giggled as she bounded away.

"Wait! Can you help me?" Tabitha called out.

The girl only shrieked and snorted with laughter as she disappeared into the maze of tents. Tabitha sighed in exasperation. She was stuck in this hellish place with no help at all. She wished to be back with her sister.

Tabitha glanced back at the scrap of paper and read it. What she read troubled her.

_Welcome to the Greatest Show Unearthed, dear Tabitha. What a terrible decision you have made in coming here. You and your sister will die wonderful, violent deaths by my hands. This fate can be avoided if you can make it out of my circus and find your sister alive. All of my…friends are aware of your presence and are allowed to maim you and your sister. You have until the first light of morning to find your sister and leave. If you leave without your sister, my friends will hunt you down and bring you back and I will make sure that your death is slow and painful. The clock is ticking, dear Tabitha. The game has begun._

Panic began to wash over Tabitha as she realized what was going to happen to her. She had to find Amanda, but there was no hint to where she might be. She had to look in every tent to find her. Tabitha shuddered at what she might find during this twisted game.

With shaky steps and regulated breaths, Tabitha went to the first tent. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was empty. There were some crates but nothing else. The tent smelled strongly of blood. A sign that she had to stay away for safety. She had so many places to look and so little time. What was she to do now? Amanda could be anywhere.

Tabitha's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a woman's voice humming in the distance. She looked around in confusion, searching for the source. Maybe it was someone who could help her. Tabitha got up and followed the sound.

As she walked toward the sound, she found herself wading through knee-deep mud. Tabitha grimaced in disgust, but kept moving. The sound was getting louder now. Tabitha looked around for the source and froze when she heard a child's whimper. It was close. Very close. Tabitha peeked around a corner of a tent and found the source of the humming and the whimpering.

It was a bizarre scene to behold. A strange, metallic-looking woman knelt by the mud. A robot. She was clad in a red and black dress that was stained with blood. She seemed to be made from the palest porcelain, making her glow in the moonlight. A goggled top-hat stood atop long, pink hair. Mismatched blue and green optics glowed as they stared down sadly at the bloody mess in her lap. She almost looked human. Upon further inspection, Tabitha noticed the mess in the robot's lap was child, but its legs were only bloody stumps. Cuts and scratches covered the child's nude form. The child whimpered softly in the robot's slender arms.

"It'll be okay, baby. Just g-g-go to sleep. No more pain. No more-more-more pain," the robot cooed to the dying child.

Tabitha watched as the robot gently held the child's head in place. She looked away as she heard the sickening snap. The child was silent. Tabitha figured she was walking into a trap and turned to leave. She was wasting her time here and she didn't want to encounter that robot.

There was a soft tap on her shoulder, making Tabitha freeze. She could hear a soft hiss from behind her. Tabitha gulped and turned to meet blue and green optics staring straight into her. The robot was much taller than she thought. The robot tilted her head slightly and shifted her face plates into a maniacal smile.

"Hi there!" She exclaimed.

Tabitha couldn't take it anymore. She screamed once and fell into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha meets some new friends and begins her journey to find her sister and escape the circus

Tabitha could hear voices somewhere. She was sure she had been captured and would die violently very soon. She had lost the game already.

"Did you really have to scare the poor thing, Rabbit? She doesn't have that long now. It's only six hours until sunrise," a delightfully deep voice grumbled.

"Sorry. I couldn't help it," the voice named Rabbit replied.

"Is she dead? Can I dispose of her. I could use her blood," a soft, female voice asked asked.

"I would not advise that, Flutters. See, she's still breathing," the deep voice replied.

"She's still going to die, The Spine. That's what happens to all visitors who come here," the soft voice, Flutters, said sadly.

There was silence wherever Tabitha was. She heard a familiar hiss from somewhere, sending shivers down her spine.

"We should help her. The exit isn't that far from here,' another male voice suggested.

"We could do-do-do that, but Uncle T would still find her. The poor thing doesn't have a-a-a chance if she continues to sleep," Rabbit sighed. Tabitha felt a cool metallic hand gently stroke her face. It was strangely comforting.

The room went quiet again, well, as quiet as it could be. Tabitha could hear the turning and grinding of gears and other robotic noises. Robots. There were other robots here. Tabitha's head throbbed in pain and she groaned loudly. The voices whispered amongst themselves. Tabitha forced her eyes open to find herself in a dimly lit room. She lay on a comfortable couch. She saw many glowing eyes looking down at her.

"W-Where am I?" She asked.

A light came on somewhere and Tabitha found a strange group of characters standing around her. She immediately recognized the female robot who smiled sadly at her. She didn't look as threatening from before. She also noticed two other male robots standing by the female. They were all clad in black and red. One was colossal at nearly seven feet. He seemed to be made out of some kind of silver metal. Sad emerald optics filled with sympathy looked down at Tabitha. His features reminded Tabitha of a less frightening version of Uncle T. He wore a fedora over a short, pitch-black wig. Tabitha noticed several strange protrusions that ran along his spine.

The other robot was much shorter than the other. This one seemed to be made out of bronze. He had icy blue optics that glowed behind a pair of glasses. A magnificent mustache adorned his face plates. A small chimney-pipe protruded from his bowler hat. Tabitha noticed a strange blue glow coming from a hatch in his chest. He looked strangely cheerful compared to the others.

Tabitha heard a soft squeak and saw what looked like a small yellow-skinned girl hiding behind the tall silver robot. Her blue eyes were hidden behind her long, pink hair as she inspected Tabitha. She clutched an unhappy white rabbit to her chest. It glared at Tabitha with disapproval. To Tabitha's surprise, the girl had beautiful, feathered wings on her back. She was convinced that she was an angel of some kind.

"What's going on? Who are you people?" Tabitha asked after taking in the crowd before her.

The figures quickly gathered around and talked amongst themselves with hushed voices. After a few minutes, the tall, silver robot approached and smiled charmingly.

"You're in the musical section of this circus, young lady. You don't have to worry, we won't hurt you. Wait, where are my manners? My name's The Spine," he said in that delightfully deep voice as he held out his hand to shake.

"M-M-My name is… Tabitha," Tabitha stammered as she took his hand. His skin was cool to the touch as they shook hands. She blushed in embarrassment as she felt her fear kick in.

"I know you must be terrified at the moment, but there's no need to be scared now. You're in good hands for now. We don't like hurting the innocent," The Spine assured her. The others nodded in agreement. The female robot stepped up and rested a cool hand on Tabitha's shoulder.

"I b-b-brought you here after ya fainted. You'll be safe for now. Oh! My name-name is Rabbit. I'm sorry I scared ya back there," Rabbit said with a more friendly smile. Tabitha remembered seeing Rabbit with the dying child and shuddered slightly . She chose not to bring that up.

"You've been marked," the bronze robot spoke up. Tabitha's terror kicked in again at that statement. The yellow-skinned girl whimpered softly and quickly walked out of the room, not wanting to be involved at the moment. The Spine grimaced slightly as he exhaled a cloud of steam with a loud hiss.

"Really, Hatchworth? We don't want the poor thing to panic," The Spine grumbled.

"Marked with what?" Tabitha asked worriedly. The one named Hatchworth walked up and gently grabbed her left arm. He pushed up the sleeve on her blue dress to reveal a red T engraved in her shoulder. Tabitha gave a soft cry at the sight.

"It's the mark Uncle T leave son victims who are forced into The Game. It usually leads to death or lifelong servitude in Uncle T's circus," Hatchworth muttered sadly. Tabitha was silent. She didn't want to die, but the mark on her arm said otherwise.

"You don't have to worry, Miss Tabitha. We can help you. Our home is not far from from the nearest exit. You'll be one of the few visitors who actually manage to leave in one piece," The Spine said with a grim smile.

The thought of escape was tempting to Tabitha, but the thought of her lost sister troubled her. She had to go back for Amanda.

I…I can't go. Not yet," Tabitha said in a soft voice. The others stared at her in shock.

"Why not? This is your only chance to escape, Miss Tabitha," The Spine muttered. Steam started to cloud the room as the robots looked at her in confusion.

"My sister. She involved as well. I have to find her," Tabitha said as confidently as she could. Rabbit gasped and sniffled, black tears staining her face. She leaned into The Spine who hugged her in response. Hatchworth joined in the hug as well, wiping away a black tear from his eye.

"This changes e-e-everything! Your poor sister. I-I-I would do anything for my little brothers. You must be in so much p-p-pain, Miz Tabitha," Rabbit cried. The Spine and Hatchworth comforted her. They all blew steam from their metal lips as one. It was oddly fascinating.

"We'll help you, dear," Hatchworth said after a few minutes.

"I-I-I think I might know where your sister might be, Miz Tabitha. I'll t-t-take ya there," Rabbit said after composing herself.

"Wait, what about the other members of the circus? This note states that they are allowed to hurt me," Tabitha said as she pulled out the note. Rabbit took it and read over it. Her brothers looked over her shoulder at it. Rabbit shook her head with a smirk.

"Ya don't havta worry, M-M-Miz Tabitha. Once they s-s-see ya with me, they won't bother ya. We should go now. Time is running out," Rabbit chimed as she took Tabitha's hand. The Spine and Hatchworth both smiled sadly and waved goodbye.

Rabbit led Tabitha out of the huge building. She was sure it was some kind of mansion. The only thing off was the tattered red and black tarp that poorly covered the top of the building. Tabitha looked around once they were outside. They were back in the endless maze of tents.

"You should stay behind me-me-me, Miz Tabitha. I don't know who might be lurking a-around," Rabbit said cautiously.

Tabitha did as she was told and followed Rabbit. They walked in silence through the ominous maze. The only sound that could be heard were their footsteps and Rabbit's interior robotic sounds. Rabbit creaked softly as she looked back at Tabitha and smiled warmly. Tabitha managed to smile back despite being frightened. She liked Rabbit and her brothers. They were so friendly and showed her kinds in this horrible place.

A scream broke Tabitha out of her thoughts. It was close. Her first thought was Amanda and she ran to the source.

"W-W-Wait, Miz Tabitha! It's dangerous! That can't be your s-s-sister!" Rabbit cried out as sh followed close behind. Steam poured out of her mouth and cheek vents as she ran.

Tabitha ignored her. She was blinded by the possibility of finding her sister. She ran into a large tent to find three large ovens inside. The screaming was coming from the middle one. She ran over to it and opened the heavy oven door.

She screamed.

A nude, teenaged boy struggled to breathe in the hot oven. He was curled up against the door, too weak to seek freedom. The fires below the grill were slowly heating up. He weakly looked up and Tabitha gasped. His mouth was messily sewn shut, the stitches loose from him screaming.

"H-He'p…m-me," he whispered. He held out a badly burned hand. Tabitha reached forward to help him but was quickly yanked back with a yelp.

"Ya shouldn't see this, Miz Tabitha," Rabbit said sadly as she faced the burning boy. Tabitha wept softly as she watched. There was nothing she could do for the boy.

"I'm so-so-so sorry," she heard Rabbit mutter. Tabitha looked up and watched in surprise and terror as Rabbit unleashed a spur of fire into the oven. The boy screamed once in agony and suddenly grew quiet. Rabbit closed the oven door and sat next to Tabitha who only stared in horror. Tabitha was unresponsive to the cool hand that gently rubbed her back.

"We-We-We should go now. We can't stop for every p-p-poor soul we come across," Rabbit said sadly. Tabitha was silent. She was in Hell. She would never escape.

"Would ya l-l-like a hug?" Rabbit asked after they sat together for a few minutes. Tabitha didn't answer. She was overwhelmed by the situations she was in. Death was not far ahead. She hated being such a coward. She always wanted to be like her sister, but so many things frightened her.

"I'm gonna die," she whimpered, wiping away tears.

Rabbit frowned, a puff of steam escaped from her lips with a soft hiss. Rabbit gently grabbed Tabitha and pulled her tightly against her chassis in a hug. Tabitha could hear the sounds of the robots interior. There was soft hum among the clicks and other noises from within. It was strangely rhythmic and warm where her chest glowed blue. Tabitha smiled grimly and embraced Rabbit.

"You'll be fine, baby," Rabbit whispered.

"Heeeeey! What happened to my barbecue?" A familiar voice whined, breaking the two out of their hug. Tabitha hid behind Rabbit and saw the pink-skinned girl standing at the entrance of the tent. She held many different cooking utensils and sauces in her arms. She looked horrified.

"Oh! I'm so-so-so sorry, Miz Pinkamena. I didn't know the-the kid was yours," Rabbit chimed as she curtsied for the girl.

Pinkamena pouted. Tabitha flinched when her ice-cold gaze fell on her. She giggled and hopped forward.

"Are you having fun, dear friend? Would ya like to join my barbecue? I know you belong to Uncle T, but I sure would love a taste. Perhaps a little slice would be nice," Pinkamena laughed. She set up the condiments and utensils and grabbed a large knife from the pile of utensils. There was a maniacal look in her icy blue eyes.

Tabitha felt Rabbit's hand grip her shoulder tightly, so tight that it made her wince in pain. She was pulled close to the robot' side, feeling her sharp fingers dig slightly into her shoulder.

"This one is mine, Miz Pinkamena. I c-c-caught her myself. I have my own-own plans for her," Rabbit growled as she stroked Tabitha's long white hair.

Pinkamena's smile disappeared for a brief moment before it came back. She giggled maniacally.

"Have fun, Rabbit!" She sang as she ran out of the tent.

"I don't like her," Tabitha said once the strange girl was out of sight.

"No one does. She's Unlce T's a-a-assistant. She ain't right in-in-in the head. She loves torture," Rabbit grimaced slightly.

"I guess we should go now," Tabitha responded. She glanced back at the ovens. The smell of charred flesh filled the air. She wanted to get out as quickly as possible.

Hiding behind Rabbit, they continued on their way. It was no longer quiet in the circus. Tabitha could hear all kinds of screams coming from within some tents. She couldn't ignore them as they screamed for help. There was nothing she could do for them.

"Hi, Rabbit!" A friendly-sounding voice called out from within a nearby tent. Rabbit smiled and led Tabitha into the tent. Once inside, Tabitha saw what looked like a mini archery range. Standing on a cardboard bow was a doll. A living doll?

He was barely the size of the stuffed animals tha surrounded him. Prizes from winning a game. He was clad in black and red like the robots. A black bandana held back a multitude of brown dreadlocks. A quiver of arrows was strapped to his back. Black button eyes stared blankly at Tabitha. He laughed, despite having no mouth from what Tabitha could see. Perhaps it was hidden behind his little brown mustache.

"And who is this lovely lady in distress?" He asked. Tabitha giggled in response. He had a wonderful spark of humor in his voice.

"What are ya-ya-ya doing here, Lil Steve? Shouldn't ya be-be with Big Steve?" Rabbit asked with a suppressed giggle.

"He's out getting supplies with Michael and Matt. I have to stay behind to free my fellow stuffed friends," Lil Steve gestured to the stuffed animals around him and hanging in the prize corner and cried out, "I am there king and I must free my brethren, but Miss Dash says there's a limit on prizes!"

Tabitha like this strange doll and his antics.

"So, who's the girl? A friend or foe? If she's a foe, I'll stick her full of my mini arrows!" Lil Steve growled as he set up his bow.

"She's a f-f-friend, Lil Steve," Rabbit replied. Lil Steve chuckled and hopped down front he box. Tabitha couldn't help but giggle as the small doll stood in front of her.

"Kneel down, girly. I can't see you well from down here," he demanded.

"You're short," Tabitha crowed as she knelt down to face the doll. Lil Steve stared silently. His blanck face held back rage. He suddenly screamed angrily, shaking violently.

"HOW DARE YOU?! I'M NOT SHORT! I'M FUN-SIZED! I'M AWESOMELY COMPACT! YOU DESERVE A HEADBUTT!" He screamed as he head-butted Tabitha's chest. Tabitha let out a shriek of laughter. She hadn't felt this happy in a long time. It felt good.

Lil Steve eventually calmed down and sighed.

"Soooooo, what are you doing down here, girly? Have you come to bask in my awesome glory? The ladies loooove my awesomeness," Lil Steve boasted while jumping up to sit on Tabitha's shoulder. Tabitha's smile disappeared as she remembered the horrors waiting outside.

"Her name-name-name is Tabitha. Uncle T marked her. The poor thing has to-to find her sister before sunrise," Rabbit spoke up once she saw the trouble in Tabitha's eyes. Lil Steve was for a moment before shaking his head.

"Pardon my language, Miss Tabitha, but that Uncle T is a bastard. I hope everything ends well for you. I shall hug you now, my fair lady," he said while hugging the side of her head. He was very fuzzy and soft. Tabitha gently grabbed him and hugged the doll, holding him close to her chest.

"Oh yes, yes. Very nice. Very nice. I enjoy these kind of hugs. I can't really breathe, but I don't care," he muttered happily.

Tabitha broke away from the hug and lowered Lil Steve to the ground. He nodded and waved farewell.

"Good luck, Miss Tabitha. I would protect you, but I am merely a doll made of yarn. Stay safe. Now, I shall free my people!" He cried out as he went back to his mini archery session.

Tabitha smiled sadly as she exited the tent and entered the dark night. She hoped against hope that her sister was alive and well. There was only one ray of sunshine in this strange and horrible place and that was held in the strange, friendly people who had taken her in.

"There it is," Rabbit announced after a few minutes of walking silently through the maze of tents.

Tabitha looked up and saw the same tent she and Amanda entered int he very beginning. She shuddered slightly as she remembered the sight of Uncle T.

"Are you sure?" Tabitha asked. She didn't want to find herself at a dead end.

Rabbit only nodded her head, shifting her faceplates into an expression of worry and fear. Oily tears began to form in her mismatched optics.

"I…I can't help ya anymore, Miz Tabitha. This is-is-is an evil place. You must do this on your own now. Your sister is w-waitng for ya. Don't die," Rabbit muttered sadly as she removed her goggled top-hat in respect. Tabitha hugged her, causing the robot to shudder with broken sobs that made her voice glitch a bit. Rabbit hugged her back, holding her close. It felt good. Tabitha reluctantly pulled away and saw Rabbit's heartbreaking smile as she looked down at her.

"I'll be okay, Rabbit," Tabitha said as confidently as she could.

Rabbit lingered for a bit before she finally turned away and disappeared into the maze of tents. Tabitha was now alone.

"I hope," she whispered as she turned toward the large tent. It looked abandoned but she guessed it hid much more. She sighed and attempted to hold back her growing fear. She had to be brave in order to save Amanda and escape the circus.

Shivering slightly, she walked forward.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha finds her sister, but quickly finds herself in a trap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains torture. Lots of it

Amanda cried softly in the metal cage. She hurt all over. She foolishly believed this circus was just harmless fun, but she was wrong. So very, very wrong.  
Her side burned every time she moved. She tried pressing down on the stab wound with her hoodie, but it only continued to bleed.

"How's our special guest doing?" A mocking voice asked. Amanda refused to look up. She focused on healing herself. She heard a soft growl and whimpered in agony as the cage shook violently.

"Where are your manners, girl? You answer me now!" Uncle T hissed as he continued to shake the cage. Each jostle of the cage sent more waves of pain through her battered frame.

"Fuck you," Amanda muttered once the shaking of the cage stopped. Uncle T chuckled and knelt in front of her. Toxic yellow eyes stared into her, paralyzing her with fear.

"You don't have to be scared, Miss Amanda. This will all be over and you'll be mine. I'm gonna enjoy torturing you and your pretty little sister. The poor thing must be terrified. I'll have her watch asI kill you and then I'll give her a slow and painful death. It'll be wonderful," he mused.

"What if…Tabitha manages to free me and escape unharmed?" Amanda dared to ask. Uncle T was silent before a cruel grin appeared on his terrible face.

"That's impossible. No one beats me at my game. Even if they do win, I'll still kill them," he laughed. Amanda growled softly. He was a lying, cheating bastard.

"Well, I have some business to attend to. I'll be back later to see if your manners have improved. Ciao, darling," he purred as he left the room. Amanda was alone again with her thoughts. There was no way Tabitha would come. She was probably dead or cowering somewhere in this godforsaken circus.

"All my fault," she muttered. She was responsible for all this pain and suffering. She should have listened to Tabitha.

"Will you shut up? Some of us are trying to sleep!" An angry voice called out from the darkness. She wasn't alone in this room. There were other victims in cages in the room as well. They looked awful.

An unmoving shape laid in the darkest corner of her cage. It wheezed and gasped for breath, struggling to live. The smell was horrendous. Amanda ignored it the best she could. She didn't want to suffer the same fate.

Amanda closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. She needed it….

 

"Amanda? Wake up, Amanda," a familiar voice whispered in the darkness.

Amanda awoke to the family pale face of her younger sister smiling in relief. Amanda gave a soft cry and reached out to her sister. Tabitha giggled softly and grasped her hand through the bars of the cage. The simple contact brought sweet relief in her prison.

"I thought you'd never make it," Amanda admitted.

"I told you this place was bad, Amanda," Tabitha scolded in a friendly manner. Amanda remembered Uncle T's lie and shivered.

"We have to go now, Tabitha. Uncle T is still going to kill us even if we do win the game," she said quietly. Tabitha's face paled in fear, a common trait for her.

"We'll be fine, Amanda. Do you know where the keys to your cage are?" Tabitha asked with a comforting smile.

Before Amanda could reply, she saw shadow creep up from behind Tabitha. She saw familiar yellow eyes glaring down at her.

"NO!" She cried out. Tabitha frowned and leaned forward to comfort her sister. Amanda flinched at her touch.

"You'll be fine, Amanda-"

"Behind you!" Amanda cried out. She was too late. As soon as Tabitha turned around, she was knocked unconscious with a large rock. Amanda screamed in horror as Tabitha dropped to the floor.

"I guess you both lost the game. It's time to have fun, darling," Uncle T said gleefully while scooping up Tabitha and strapping her to a nearby chair. Amanda shook her head in disbelief. They were going to die.

 

Tabitha could hear someone crying somewhere. She groaned in pain and tried to move, but found herself strapped down.

What had happened? All she could remember was finally finding Amanda and then…darkness.

"Wake up, friend. It's party time," a happy voice chimed. Cold water was splashed onto her face and she awoke with a gasp. A pair of icy blue eyes were alls he could see in front of her. It was Miss Pinkamena. She giggled and slapped her across the face, making her cry out.

"It's about time, friend. Are ya ready to have fun?" Pinkamena asked excitedly. She bounced about in place, her pink, cotton candy-like hair bouncing around.

"You can go now, Pinkie. It's time," a family voice growled.

Miss Pinkamena giggled again and bounded out of the room, giving Tabitha a clear view of her surroundings. The room was empty except for the surgery table in the middle. She saw Amanda strapped to it, weeping softly under a ball gag. A tray filled with many surgical tools sat next to the table on a stool. The stench of blood was heavy in the air.

"What's g-going on?" Tabitha asked quietly.

Amanda's terror-filled gaze turned to her, sending chills down her spine. She was staring at something behind Tabitha. There was a deep chuckle from behind Tabitha's chair. Tabitha refused to look behind even when she noticed a clawed hand rest on her shoulder.

"You lost the game," a voice purred in her ear. His breath was hot and smelled strongly of blood.

Tabitha whimpered softly and Uncle T now stood in front of her, a wide grin revealing those awful crooked teeth beamed down at her.

"You were a tough one, darling. I didn't expect you to last this long. Oh well, it's time for my favorite part of the game," he crowed as he touched her cheek with long claws. They dug into her skin, drawing blood. Tabitha only winced in pain. Uncle T frowned and stopped, licking the blood from his claws.

"Huh. I'm growing too eager for you, darling. I was planning on saving you for last, but you taste delicious. I can handle myself. Well, time to work on your sister," he smiled as he walked back to Amanda. Amanda's scream of terror was muffled beneath the ball gag.

"Now, where shall we begin?" Uncle T asked curiously. He grabbed a scalpel and lightly poked her cheek, drawing a tiny trickle of blood. Amanda shook violently against her bonds, but with no success.

"Stop it!" Tabitha cried out. Uncle T only laughed coldly.

"This is what happens when you lose my game, darling. No one escapes the Greatest Show Unearthed alive. Now, you just sit tight while I work. You'll have the privilege of watching your dear sister by my hands," he crowed.

Tabitha's mind was racing. She was going to die along with her sister. She just wanted to back in the comforting presence of Rabbit and her companions. She missed them dearly.

A muffled scream broke her out of her thoughts. Uncle T was tearing out Amanda's fingernails one by one. She grimaced at the sight. Tears mixed with blood lured down Amanda's face.What could she do? Tabitha wondered of Uncle T would strike up deals. She could…no, that's stupid. She would die anyway by making that deal with the devil himself. Plus, she was a coward. Everything terrified her, but Amanda was in pain. So much pain. She had to do it.

"You're surprisingly quiet, dear Tabitha. Are you not going to beg for me to stop?" Uncle T asked after successfully removing all of Amanda's fingernails.

"L-Let my sister go. I'll…take her place…I'll stay here if you let her go unharmed," Tabitha muttered. Uncle T was silent for a moment before a wicked smiled replaced his solemn expression. Amanda tried to protest but nothing came out of her.

"This is interesting. You'll do anything to ensure your sister's safety?" He asked.

"Yes sir. Anything as long as you let my sister go," Tabitha replied grimly. Uncle T smirked and sauntered over to Tabitha. He touched her face with one long claw, making her shiver.

"How old are you, darling?"

"I'm nineteen."

"I can work with that. You have yourself a deal, darling. I'll let your sister go free and you will stay in my circus for the rest of your miserable life," he crowed. He went back to Amanda who only stared at her in disbelief. Her hands were a bloody mess. Uncle T grabbed a syringe filled with a strange liquid and injected it into Amanda's chest. She cried out once and drifted into unconsciousness.

Miss Pinkamena bounded into the room with a giggle and stopped when she saw the scene before her.

"What's going on? I thought we were going to kill them!" She said with a pout.

"There's been a change in plans, Pinkie. Miss Tabitha has offered herself to us in exchange for her sister's freedom. She'll be staying with us for a long time and we can do whatever we want with her," Uncle T chimed. Miss Pinkamena's smile returned and she burst into laughter.

"Oh boy! We're gonna have so much fun together! I"m so excited!" She cheered.

"I am as well, Pinkie. Can you take her sister away. Take her deep in the woods where she can never find her way back. I'll get our…friend more situated here," Uncle T ordered. Pinkamena nodded and wheeled Amanda out of the room. Tabitha watched in defeat as her sister disappeared forever. She feared for what might happen next.

"You're a lot braver than I thought. Impressive. Let's see how brave you truly are," he purred as he grabbed a syringe and approached her with it. Tabitha's breath hitched. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain. She heard a sinister chuckle but nothing happened. She opened her eyes to his eerie grin.

"I want to take this slow, darling. I don't feel like killing you yet. Tell me, what talents do you have? I'll send you to the section of my circus that best suits you and you'll serve me until the time comes to kill you," he said while pulling up a chair and sitting beside her as if this was perfectly normal. Tabitha remembered where Rabbit had taken her when she had fainted. It was the musical area of the circus. She could stay with them.

"I…I can s-sing," she muttered.

"Oh really? How lovely. I can send you to Walter Manor. That's where most of the musicians are," he said as he inspected the syringe with a bored expression.

"C-Can you…let me go now? I guess we're done now," Tabitha suggested. Uncle T only chuckled darkly to himself.

"Who said that I was done with you?" He hissed.

In a black flash, Tabitha felt searing pain in her left eye. Uncle T laughed maniacally as he slowly gouged out her eye. Tabitha could only scream and struggled against the assault. She felt hot blood trickle down her face and into her mouth. There was a sickening pop and she felt the agonizing pain as her eye was finally yanked out of its socket.

"You have such pretty red eyes, darling. I just wanted a souvenir. Uncle T laughed while holding her bloody eye in front of her. She screamed at the sight . She was quickly losing consciousness.

This is only the beginning, darling," Uncle T smiled as he went to undo her bonds. Tabitha let out a pained sob as everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, she'll live :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha finds a new home and meets new allies

"Tabitha."

She hurt all over. She felt something cold being applied to her face. She wanted to wake up but couldn't for some reason.

"P-P-Please, Tabitha. Wake up," a familiar voice whispered. She felt cool, metallic fingers gently brush away damp hair from her face. They went back to rest on her forehead.

"Please move over, Miss Rabbit. I…I can't work with you hovering over me," an incredibly soft and timid voice said.

"Sorry, Fluttershy," Rabbit muttered.

Tabitha forced her eyes open at the mention of Rabbit's name. She saw red. Nothing else. Many shapes swam before her vision, causing her to cry out as a new wave of pain surged through her.

"Oh! She's awake! Not good!" The voice named Fluttershy squeaked. Tabitha felt an unfamiliar hand touch her left hand, which brought more pain. She cried out in pain. She could hear Rabbit's voice over the chaos.

"You're only m-m-making it worse!"

There was a small shriek from Fluttershy as Tabitha felt her hand and form being yanked away by someone much bigger. Rabbit knelt beside her and pulled her into an embrace, hissing loudly with steam. Tabitha could hear the rhythmic inner workings of her dear friend. It calmed her a bit, but she still sobbed painful tears into Rabbit's chest. The tears only brought her more pain.

"I'm…I'm so-so-so sorry, Tabitha. So s-s-sorry," Rabbit stammered. Tabitha felt as Rabbit reached over to grab something. She felt a cold, wet rag press against her wound. The coolness of it slowly brought down the pain. Slowly but surely, Tabitha's vision cleared up. She found it difficult to see as she turned her head to properly look at Rabbit. Black tears stained Rabbit's pale face and dripped onto Tabitha.

"I-It h-h-hurts," Tabitha whimpered as she recalled what had just happened.

"I know. You're safe now-now, baby," Rabbit cooed. She leaned down and kissed Tabitha's forehead, bringing her much-needed comfort.

She was going to die soon and there was nothing she could do about it. She shivered at the thought and cuddled closer to Rabbit who held her close, humming softly to herself.

"Is she awake?" The soft voice of Fluttershy asked. Tabitha turned her head and saw the winged girl from before. Fluttershy held her unhappy rabbit in her red-stained hands. Her eyes were wide with fear while the rabbit only looked on in disdain. It was not amused at all.

"I'm…awake," Tabitha murmured. She winced as a stinging pain coursed through her. Fluttershy lowered the unhappy rabbit to the ground and came forward.

"Go get the others, Angel," she said to the rabbit. Angel nodded and hopped out of the room.

Tabitha nestled back into Rabbit's slender arms. She thought about Amanda. She was glad she was safe, but sad that she couldn't say goodbye.

"Is-Is your sister okay," Rabbit asked worriedly.

Tabitha only nodded. She didn't want to remember the look on Amanda's face when she made her decision.

Fluttershy sat next to Rabbit and grabbed some cotton, gauze and bandages from a nearby counter.

"I have to treat your wound again, Miss Tabitha. I just have to clean it up and wrap it in gauze," she whispered.

"I'll do it, Flutters," Rabbit muttered.

Fluttershy gave her the supplies and watched silently. Rabbit positioned Tabitha so that was lying down on the soft blanket. Rabbit smiled as she gently stroked her face with cool fingers. Tabitha smiled back as Rabbit began wiping away blood from her face.

"How bad is it?" Tabitha asked.

"I could stick a-a-a few fingers in the hole. What I want to-to know is what he did to your sister," Rabbit replied as she started wrapping the cotton and gauze around the wound. Tabitha sighed. They would have to know why she was left with them.

A sudden thought came to her.

"How did I get here?" She asked curiously. A puff of steam escaped from Rabbit's cheek vents as she huffed in frustration as her face plates shifted into an expression of suppress anger.

"Uncle T came here-here and dropped ya off at our door. He-He told us nothing. Th' Spine and Pete are furious. All we knew was that we needed to-to-to take care of ya. I'm just glad you're still a-a-alive," Rabbit smiled while pulling her into another hug. She then finished binding the wrappings around Tabitha's wound and applied a bandage to her cheek.

"You're lucky. Uncle T usually kills all of his captives in horrible ways. How are you not dead?" Fluttershy asked as she put away the medical supplies with shaky hands. Tabitha gulped. It was time.

Before she could tell her story, there was a loud knock at the door followed by a familiar voice.

"CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE OPEN THIS DESPICABLE DOOR?! I CAN'T REACH! CURSE MY TINY YARN ARMS!" The voice of Lil Steve screamed. Tabitha managed to giggle despite the pain. The door opened and Lil Steve rushed in. He was suddenly grabbed by a stranger who looked almost like him. Big Steve.

"You're staying with me, Lil Steve," Steve said with a devilish grin. He strapped the struggling Lil Steve to his belt with ease and turned to Tabitha and Rabbit.

"LET ME GO! I REFUSE TO BE TREATED LIKE A DOLL!" Lil Steve raged.

"I'm sorry, ladies. He's always like this," Steve said. He noticed Tabitha and continued with an infectious smile, "You must be the new girl. My name's Steve Negrete. My little friend here is Lil Steve. He's…bait of a troublemaker."

"I am NOT a troublemaker, Steve! And I have already met Lady Tabitha. We're friends. I've already head-butted her, like, a million times already. She enjoys it," Lil Steve grumbled. Steve only rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.

"Hey! You could use an eyepatch. Put me down, Big Steve! I need to get an eyepatch for Lady Tabitha. She'll make an excellent pirate," Lil Steve said. He squirmed around, trying to break free from Steve's belt. Tabitha smiled at the sight. The two were very alike. Steve sighed and unstrapped Lil Steve from his belt and lowered him to the floor.

Upon contact with the floor, Lil Steve scurried to Tabitha and hugged the uninjured side of her face. A new wave of tears threatened to gush out. Tabitha tried to hold it back as she patted his head. He nuzzled her cheek in response.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Lady Tabitha. I'm gonna fetch ya the best eyepatch ever and then you can be Miss Lady Captain Tabitha. I must go now, m'lady," Lil Steve declared as he hopped down and scurried out of the room. Tabitha turned to look at Steve who only watched with a puzzled expression.

"I've never seen him act like that. He hasn't truly been exposed to the horrors of this damned circus, so seeing you has changed everything," he said while watching Lil Steve disappear down the hall. He shook his head and decided to follow Lil Steve.

As soon as he left, two people walked in. They were led by Angel who hopped into Fluttershy's arms. Tabitha immediately recognized The Spine but didn't recognize the young woman with him. There was nothing friendly about her as she glared at Tabitha with toxic yellow eyes. Her pale skin reflected the light of the room, making her look ghostly. She wore a ridiculously large beanie over her long, raven hair. She was dressed in a very loose, white tank top and green shorts. This girl frightened Tabitha.

"Is this the girl you told me about, The Spine? Look at her. She'll never make it," she growled in a surprisingly deep voice.

"Who is this?" Tabitha asked.

"My name's Lucy. Uncle T is my father. You don't have to worry. I won't kill you. Unlike my father, I only kill if I see it is necessary," she said in a more friendly tone.

"Miss Lucy is here to…determine your future, Miss Tabitha," The Spine spoke up.

"I'm confused. You look nothing like Uncle T," Tabitha commented. She was true. This Lucy was a pale white while her supposed father was darker than midnight. Lucy only smirked at her comment.

"I know. My little sister and I take after our mother with most of our looks. We only have our father's hair and eyes. Now, shall we begin?" Lucy asked while sitting next to Tabitha. Tabitha looked to Rabbit who only nodded and stood up to stand next to The Spine. Rabbit sniffled and rested her head on her brother's shoulder. Fluttershy sat in a corner and watched while absentmindedly petting Angel who didn't seem to give a shit about what was going on.

Lucy took Tabitha's hands and closed her eyes. Tabitha gasped softly when she felt something penetrate her mind.

"Don't move," Lucy muttered.

Tabitha shivered and closed her good eye. She felt violated as Lucy entered and explored the inside of her head. She could feel every movement of her presence within her. It was both freezing and hot at the same time. As soon as it started, it ended. Tabitha breathed out in relief as she felt Lucy exit. Lucy was silent, a grave look was on her face.

"I…need to talk with The Spine. You should get yourself situated," Lucy murmured as she got up to leave. The Spine glanced around at Tabitha and smiled sadly as he left the room with Lucy. Something was wrong. She just knew it.

Tabitha yawned. She was exhausted. Rabbit went to sit next to her and gently patted her back, making her forget her current worries for the moment.

"I should find a room for you," Fluttershy whispered as she stood up.

"It's o-o-okay, Fluttershy. I can-can share my room with her," Rabbit chimed. She looked at Tabitha and smiled warmly.

"A-Are you sure? I can find a room for-"

"Nope! She's staying w-with me. I barely use my bed. She can sleep there," Rabbit said.

"I guess you're right," Fluttershy replied.

"Let's go-go-go, Miz Tabitha. I can show ya around as we-we go," Rabbit said while carefully pulling Tabitha to her feet. Tabitha felt disoriented at first but eventually found her balance. Rabbit nodded and led her out of the room.

Tabitha got a better view of the interior of the large manor as they left the room.They seemed to be on the fifth floor. A flight of narrow stairs circled around, leading to the other floors. There was another room on the floor they were on. A sign above the door read H.O.W. It sparked her curiosity.

"What's that room?" Tabitha asked.

"That's the Hall of-of-of Wires. It's The Spine's room. He don't like uninvited guests coming in-in his domain," Rabbit explained.

Tabitha glanced back at the door before they descended the narrow staircase. She listened intently as Rabbit talked about daily life in Walter Manor and its current residents. She noticed that Rabbit never mentioned how they joined the damned circus. She decided not to bring it up.

Tabitha also noticed that all of the rooms they walked back had no doors. Another question that would be answered later.

"And this is my r-r-room. The Hall of Faces," Rabbit announced. They were on second floor of the building, or so she thought.

"The Hall of Faces?" Tabitha questioned. Rabbit only giggled and led her in. Tabitha gasped at the surprisingly large room. The wall facing the door was a huge draped window that overlooked a beautiful garden. The room was ornately decorated as if it was stuck in the nineteenth century. A huge Victorian styled bed lain in the center of the room. It was beautiful. Rabbit turned on a switch and she got an even better view of what hung on the walls. The walls were decorated with multiple photographs, and to Tabitha's awe, masks. They all resembled Rabbit, but each one was different in detail.

"These are all…you," Tabitha mused. Rabbit nodded affirmative and walked up to the nearest mask. The mask was a mess of rusted copper. It seemed to have a greenish blue shine to it. It was strangle beautiful.

"They're beautiful," Tabitha commented as she reached out to touch another mask. This one seemed to be made from the same pale porcelain, but it was cracked in some places. Se could see Rabbit's growing smile on her face plates at the compliment.

"Ya need your rest," Rabbit whispered as she went over to sit in an ornate chair that sat next to the bed.

Tabitha walked over and looked at the bed and then to Rabbit. There was more than enough room for the two of them.

"Don't you want to share the bed? There's plenty of room," Tabitha said as she settled into the soft bed.

"I'm fine. I don't need a-a-a bed. All I need is a nice chair to go into stasis," Rabbit murmured tiredly. She flipped a nearby switch, throwing them into darkness. Rabbit's mismatched optics shone in the dark, illuminating her face in the dark, Tabitha couldn't help but admire her. She was so caring and helpful to her during her time of peril.

"Rabbit?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you," Tabitha whispered. She was glad she found this peaceful place in a living hell. As she closed her eye to sleep, she felt Rabbit's cold lips on her forehead.

"Sleep well, baby," Rabbit cooed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha has some questions that need to be answered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New characters from other fandoms shall be introduced in this chapter :D  
> How may can ya'll name so far?

Tabitha woke up with a soft gasp. She was just having a nightmare about Uncle T. She was dying, slowly and painfully.

Once she had calmed herself, Tabitha looked around the room. It was dimly lit from the daylight streaming in through the closed drapes. From what she could see, it was the late afternoon.  
She saw Rabbit sitting comfortably in her chair. Her head hung low, optics shut. Her goggled top-hat, along her her pink wig, sat in her lap. Her head was wrapped in a red bandana. She looked so peaceful as she slept.

Thoughts of death creeped into her head, making her shiver. She knew she was going to die, but when? Tabitha recalled The Spine getting some kind of information about her fate from Lucy. He probably knew. She would ask him.

Slipping out of the Hall of Faces, she ascended the ridiculously narrow stairs to the floor where the Hall of Wires was located. She wondered why it was called that as she stood in front of the red door. The sing, H.O.W., looked ominous. She prepared to knock, but decided not to. The Spine was probably in stasis and wouldn't want to be disturbed. She opened the surprisingly heavy door and walked in.

The Hall of Wires was bathed in a deadly red glow. The large room resembled a study mixed with a library and a bedroom. A multitude of wires hung from the ceiling, giving the appearance of a mechanical jungle canopy. The Spine was nowhere in sight. She would have to look for him in this ominous room.

As she walked deeper ingot he Hall of Wires, Tabitha noticed a figure reclined in a large chair. She smiled and walked up to the figure and stopped in her tracks. She recognized the tall form of The Spine's body in the chair, but his head was nowhere to be seen. He was dead! Tabitha cried out in terror and immediately stopped when she heard something move amongst the wires overhead.

"What are you doing here Miss Tabitha?" A deep, disembodied voice grumbled. It was The Spine, but where was he? Tabitha looked up and caught a brief glance at what looked like a large robotic snake slithering amongst the wires. It was huge!

Tabitha turned to run out of the room, but was stopped when the snake slithered into view. It hung freely from the support of the wires overhead. In the dim, red light, Tabitha could see glowing green optics staring tiredly at her. They reminded her of a familiar silver robot. It got closer and she saw its head. She gasped. It was The Spine's head connected to the robotic body of the snake. The Spine looked unhappy as he stared her down.

"I repeat; what are you doing here, Miss Tabitha?" He asked.

Tabitha remembered why she had come and held back her fear and curiosity.

"What did Lucy tell you? Am I going to die?" Tabitha responded in a firm tone.

The Spine sighed, steam pouring out of his black lips. He slithered down to the floor and went over to his lifeless chassis. A mysterious robotic arm shot out from the tangle of wires and grabbed the top of his head, suspending him over his chassis. It then slowly lowered him down into it until there was an audible click and he was whole. Another robotic arm shot out and placed his black wig and fedora on top of his head. He cracked his knock and looked over to Tabitha who watched in amazement. There was a look of utter heartbreak on his face as he watched her.

"Are you sure you want to know, Miss Tabitha?" He asked sadly. Tabitha solemnly nodded affirmative. There was as a sudden load thump as a large book fell to the floor followed by a multitude of clicks. The Spine smirked and walked over to the bookshelf where the book had fallen.

"You frightened the twins. They haven't been properly introduced to you," The Spine said and continued in a fatherly tone directed at the bookshelf, "You can come out now, little ones. Miss Tabitha is a friend. She won't hurt you."

He motioned for Tabitha to come near and she followed. She stood next to him and peered into the dark bookshelf. She saw tiny flashing lights from behind some books followed by the clicks.  
"Don't be scared, littles ones. Miss Tabitha won't bite," The Spine cooed.

Tabitha watched in surprise as two tiny figures appeared from behind a book. Their eyes flashed like cameras, creating the clicking noise. They were smaller than Lil Steve. The Spine chuckled and held out a hand to them.

"Let's meet our new friend, shall we?"

They inched forward and Tabitha got a better view of them. They seemed to be wearing blue cloaks that were made from gardening gloves. A number was stitched to their fronts. One was 3 and the other was 4. They looked like little robot dolls. The strange fabric they were made out of gave them a pale complexion. They came forward until they were standing in The spine's palm. They never took their eyes off of Tabitha.

"Miss Tabitha, this is 3 and 4. 3 and 4, this is Miss Tabitha," The Spine announced. 3 pointed at Tabitha and flashed their optics. 4 smiled and did the same, gaining a chuckle from The Spine. He lightly patted their heads with one long finger.

"They wish to catalogue you, Miss Tabitha," The Spine said with a smile.

"They want to do what?" Tabitha asked.

He smirked and let the tiny twins hop onto her shoulders. They crawled all over her, inspecting, touching, and exploring anything they could find. The one named 3 poked curiously at her bandaged wounds. It clicked and a look of horror came on its face. It ran to her shoulder where it decided to play with her snow-white hair.

"They're curious little things. What are they?" Tabitha asked once they had finished cataloguing her and were resting on her shoulders. The Spine held out a hand and the twins back to him. They sat together in his palm and watched on curiously.

"They're called stitch-punks. They're…a different kind of robot. The poor thing were separated from their family a long time ago. As you can see, they can't talk, but they communicate using morse code and they have their own little language with their flashing optics. It's fascinating to watch them talk with each other," he mused.

The one named 3 pointed at Tabitha and clicked repeatedly. 4 joined in and looked to The Spine whose expression changed to sorrow.

"The twins send their regards to you. They haven't truly been exposed to the horrors of Uncle T, but they are aware of what he has done. The Spine muttered and continued, "Why did Uncle T drop you off here?"

"He told me he would send me to the section of his circus that best suited my talents. I told him I can sing," Tabitha admitted.

"Can you show me?" The Spine smiled. He lowered the twins onto a desk. They scurried away into the nearest cabinet and returned, pulling a music book with them. They turned to a page and pointed to a song. Tabitha looked and smiled. Fever, by Peggy Lee. She knew this song.

"The twins have good taste. Let's see what you can do," The Spine said while sitting in an armchair. The twins clambered into his breast-pocket and watched expectantly. Tabitha sighed and closed her eye. She imagined the simple beat to the song and sang.

As she sang, she remembered the good times. She remembered singing with friends and family. She would never see them again. Everything was perfect until Amanda convinced her to come to this damned circus. She was glad she had found a safe place, but that didn't cover the fact that she would die soon.

Tabitha stopped singing and wiped a tear away. The twins clapped and clicked nonstop as if cheering. The Spine only grinned charmingly.

"You have a lovely voice, Miss Tabitha. I wish we could include you in our act, but you're going to-," he stopped, looking horrified by what he was about to say. Tabitha knew what he was going to say.

"I'm…sorry, Miss Tabitha. I shouldn't have said that," he apologized. Tabitha smiled sadly and patted his shoulder.

"It's fine, The Spine….Can you tell me when it will happen?" She asked.

"I…I don't think I can, Miss Tabitha. I'm sorry. You'll have to ask Lucy if you can find her or you can ask Grell," he suggested.

"Who's Grell?"

"Mister Grell Sutcliff is an ex grim reaper. He joined Uncle T claiming his other job was boring, He always knows when someone's death day is coming. He's…strange. He and Rabbit happen to be very good friends. Go look for him. He's not far. He'll be in a tent that is only red in color," The Spine said. A look of great distress formed on his faceplates as he watched Tabitha get ready to leave.

"I guess I'll be going," she said.

"Rabbit's going to worry about you if you're gone too long. The poor thing is starting to fall in love with you," The Spine said.

Tabitha stared at him in shock. She couldn't find anything to say to that. That was a huge confession that only Rabbit should tell her. How did he know?  
3 and 4 looked shocked as well before big smiles formed on their faces. The Spine chuckled at her reaction.

"It's true, Miss Tabitha. She can't stop rambling on about you and how cute you are and how she needs to protect you no matter what. It's kind of endearing to listen to," he smiled and continued in a more serious tone, "Be safe, Miss Tabitha."

"I…I will. I'l see you later," Tabitha waved goodbye and made her way out of the Hall of Wires.

As Tabitha descend the staircase, she thought about her life. Her future was unknown until she talked with the one named Grell. She hoped he was friendly. There was also the fact that a robot had fallen in love with her, or was starting to. It made her heart flutter just thinking about the idea of someone finding her cute or attractive. She smiled to herself as she went down the staircase.

After what felt like forever, she finally reached the first floor and looked around. It seemed that the residents of the manor were still asleep. She found the main entrance and noticed no door. Strange. She walked out of the doorway into the late afternoon. It was a sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky. Tabitha sighed as she momentarily basked in the sunlight. It gave her a moment of relief before she headed out to find Grell.

The circus was quiet. Too quiet. She had to be on her guard.

Tabitha looked around for an all-red tent. She didm;t have to walk far before she spotted it. It was set up in a rather flamboyant style. It was red as if painted with blood. This was the place. Tabitha gulped and walked in. A table sat in front of the main room, surrounded by mystic objects. Tabitha noticed a bloody chainsaw sitting in the corner. Many files littered the floor. Tabitha pick up the nearest file and read it.

_**Name : Sally Ramirez** _   
_**Age: 19** _   
_**Time of Death : 4:30 AM** _   
_**Cause of Death : Torture and Decapitation** _

A photo was included with the document. What remained of a young woman laid on the floor in a puddle of her own blood. Her head was positioned next to her body, staring fearfully into the camera.  
Tabitha shuddered and dropped the file to the floor in disgust. A deranged giggled emanated from the next room in the tent. Tabitha decided to follow it.

As she walked in, she quickly reconsidered walking out. A snottily clad woman laid on the floor, bound in ropes. She cried out from underneath a ball gag as a strange-looking man stood over her with a scalpel. Her gaze turned to Tabitha and she tried to scream for help. The man noticed and turned to Tabitha.

Everything about the man was red. He was dressed in a red and white butler's outfit under a red trench coat that hung loosely from his shoulders. Long, red hair hung down to his hips. His pale skin stood out from all the red. Lime-green eyes inspected Tabitha from behind fancy glasses. He had a very feminine and flamboyant look to him.

"I'm busy right now, girlie. Come back later," he growled in a British accent. He turned back to the girl and giggled maniacally.

"Are you Grell?" Tabitha spoke up.

He paused and turned back to Tabitha. He looked unamused.

"Of core I'm Grell! What do you want, girlie? Is somebody dying?" He asked sarcastically.

"Y-Yes. I'm dying," Tabitha muttered. Grell smiled, revealing razor-sharp teeth. He turned back to the girl and pushed her into a nearby cage.

"Well, this is terrible, dearie. Come with me," he said as he led he rack into the main room. He sat down at the desk and motioned for her to sit as well. She obeyed. Grell pulled out a little bald book and started skimming through it.

"What's your name, dearie? I think I can find you in my list of expect deaths," he said casually.

"Tabitha Masters. My name is Tabitha Masters," Tabitha said as she watched Grell skim through the book.

"Hmmm…Tabitha Masters….Masters…Where are you? Ah! There you are, love!" He exclaimed and continued reading. His lime-green eyes glowed in delight as he read the entry. He giggled maniacally as he turned his gaze to Tabitha.

"You shouldn't have come here, you stupid child. This is a wonderfully violent death," Grell chortled.

Tabitha's fear threatened to intensify at that. She had to know.

"W-When and h-h-how will I…die?" She stammered. Grell chucked and went back to look at the entry.

"It says here that your death date is over a month away. And for how you will die…I can't. It's too ghastly to read aloud, sweetie," he said while fanning himself.

"Tell me," Tabitha insisted. She just wanted to get this over with. Grell smiled and looked back at the entry.

"You're gonna slowly be tortured over the month. Your insides will slowly be torn out of you while you're hooked on to life-support. All of your limbs will be removed until you're nothing but a head. And when you're just a head, your brain will be removed and as you fade, Uncle T will devour you. Oh! What a wonderfully, terrible man!" Grell giggled like a school girl. Tabitha was silent as she took in the information. That was a terrible and cruel way to die. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Can you look up Amanda Masters, please?" She asked. Grell was confused at first before he shrugged his shoulders and flipped through some pages.

"There she is. Hmm. Says here that she died last night. Stabbed to death in the forest. Poor dear," he said nonchalantly.

Tabitha froze. Amanda was dead. Uncle T had lied to her again.

"When the day comes, you can come to me. I can kill you myself. You don't have to go through all of that painful torture. What do you say, love? Grell said with a toothy smile while gesturing to his chainsaw. Tabitha held back her dread and tried to smile at the offer.

"That…would be nice, Mister Sutcliff. I guess I'll be going now. Rabbit's probably worried about me," Tabitha said while getting up. Grell perked up at the mention of Rabbit.

"You know my little Bunny Rabbit?! Tell her I said Hi, darling!" Grell called out as she made her way out of the tent.

A shiver ran down Tabitha's spine despite the warm weather. She knew when and how she was going to die. She wondered if there was any way to avoid this awful fate.

"Hi, friend! What are you doing out at this time?" An awfully familiar voice cried out, making Tabitha freeze in her tracks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha has a really bad time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Lots of graphic violence in this one  
> The chapter's a bit shorter, but I promise that the next will be better :D

"Hi, friend! What are you doing out at this time?" An awfully familiar voice cried out.

Tabitha shivered as she turned to the source. Miss Pinkamena was already up in her face, smiling way too happily. Two other teenaged girls were with her. One girl had wild green hair along with matching green eyes. She wore a light-brown T-shirt with jeans. The other girl was brown-haired, blue-eyed, and looked fairly normal besides grinning in a creepy manner. She wore a simple white dress. She held a giant cleaver behind her back. Tabitha was surprised to find that they were human.

"My friends and I wish to play with you, Miss Tabitha," Pinkamena giggled. The two girls laughed coldly and grabbed Tabitha by the arms. Tabitha tried to fight back but was stopped when the green-haired girl held a taser to he neck.

"Don't make this hard for us, friend," she crowed.

"Save the taser for later, Shion," Pinkamena ordered. The girl named Shion rolled her eyes and put the taser away.

A sudden realization struck Tabitha as she was dragged away somewhere. Pinkamena was the one who murdered Amanda. Anger boiled with her and she growled angrily.

"You…You killed my sister," Tabitha hissed.

"Isn't it obvious? No one leaves our circus. We don't need the authorities stopping our fun. She had to die," Pinkamena chimed.  
Something snapped within Tabitha.

"You…BITCH!" Tabitha screamed and lunged forward for Pinkamena's neck. Pinkamena only smirked as she stepped to the side. Tabitha barely had any time to react before the sting of cold metal bit into her shoulder. She screamed as she saw the knife stuck in her shoulder. She fell to her knees as the girls laughed.

"She's a fighter, Pinkie. You better be careful," the brown-haired girl warned mockingly. Pinkamena shrieked with laughter and slowly pulled the knife from Tabitha's shoulder, making her cry out.

"Just remain calm and let us do our thing, friend. We're not killing you yet," Pinkamena said while signaling for the girls to drag Tabitha again.  
Tabitha wept softly as she was dragged away once more. They were beside an ominous tent that was very close to Grell's tent. Tabitha managed to look up and saw a brick wall with four chains attached to it. What were they going to do to her?

The green-haired girl named Shion snickered and poked at Tabitha's wound, making her yelp in pain.

"Strip her down," Pinkamena ordered. Shion and the unnamed girl were confused at first before they smiled mischievously. Tabitha cried out in pain and embarrassment as the girls tore off her clothes. She wanted to fight back, but the pain was too great. Her pale body was now exposed.

"Oooh, what a pretty figure you have, Miss Tabitha. I like what I see," Pinkamena said as she stared at Tabitha's nude form with a lecherous smile.

"Chain her to the wall, Rena."

The brown-haired girl named Rena nodded and pushed Tabitha until she was standing against the freezing wall. She shivered as her wrists and ankles were chained. She fell forward and was stopped by the chains, putting her in an uncomfortable position.

"Very nice, very nice. Let's get started, girls," Pinkamena said while pulling out a small knife. She approached Tabitha and poked at her bandaged eye, frowning.

"This shouldn't be here," Pinkamena muttered as she cut off the bindings around her eye. Tabitha shivered at the touch. She knew she wasn't going to die here, but she still feared for what might happen next.

"Let's party!" Pinkamena cheered as she finally cut away Tabitha's bindings. She then poked at Tabitha's nude form, making small cuts in her more sensitive regions. Tabitha bit her tongue trying o hold back her cries of pain. She tasted blood.

"Did you girls know that the upper thigh area is the most painful region for most girls to be inured?" Pinkamena asked her friends as she proceeded to slash at the said area. Rena and Shion nodded in confirmation as they watched.

"That's also true for the breast area. Let's try that out," Shion suggested.

"That's a wonderful idea, Shion. You can do that part," Pinkamena crowed while handing Shion the knife. She smirked and made small across Tabitha's cleavage. Tabitha closed her eye tight and bit her tongue harder. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction of her screams for mercy.

"Oh look. She pissed herself! What a baby!" Rena laughed. Tabitha could feel the familiar warmness running down her legs. She could feel her face heating up in embarrassment.

"My turn!" Pinkamena sang. Tabitha felt the cold metal bite into her arms as Pinkamena made quick slashes among them.

"Why do you do this?" Tabitha muttered. She wished to know why Pinkamena loved to torture and murder. She looked like a sweet girl but had the wrong intentions. The slashing stopped. Tabitha looked up and saw the look of confusion on Pinkamena's face.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her head cocked in confusion.

"Why do you like to hurt others?"

"It's fun! Uncle T said it was," she crowed while licking blood off of her knife.

"Do you…really think I'm having fun right now. Did my sisite rhave fun when you murdered her?" Tabitha hissed. Pinkamena paused. Shion and Rena looked dumbfounded and glanced at Pinkamena for assistance. Her ever-present smile was now long gone, only to be replaced with a look of concern. Pinkamena shook her head in confusion. Her cotton candy-like hair deflated with a hiss, making her hair appear long and changing her appearance dramatically. She looked more like a confused girl than a blood-craving maniac.

"Pinkie? Are you okay?" Rena asked after a minute of silence.

"I have to go now. You two do what you want with her, but don't kill her," Pinkamena muttered as she ran off.

The two were silent for a moment before Shion chuckled darkly. She pulled out the taser and held it against Tabitha's stomach. Tabitha felt the crack of electricity as it surged through her. The girls lauded and continued assaulting her.

Tabitha whimpered silently. She couldn't do anything against them. She was cold and her stomach growled violently. She couldn't call out for help. All she could do now was stay put and pray for a miracle.

She didn't have to wait long.

 

Lil Steve was just wandering around the circus grounds. He was bored. He had already freed his people yesterday even though Miss Dash highly objected against his chivalrous act.

He sighed loudly. What could he do today? He thought about pestering the robots, but he ha already done that many times. It was starting to get boring.

The sound of laughter filled the air. Curious, he followed it to the source. He rounded a corner and gasped. Miss Captain Lady Tabitha was chained to a wall! The maniacs, Rena and Shion, were torturing her. Many cuts decorated her nude form. Miss Captain Lady Tabitha was unresponsive to their assault. Lil Steve growled. They were hurting his new friend! He wished to fight off the wenches, but knew he could due to his (he hated to admit it) tiny stature. He wanted so badly to head-butt them into infinity.

He could get someone bigger. Yeah! He could find one of the robots. They would gladly help.

"Have no fear, my dear Miss Captain Lady Tabitha. Help will soon arrive," he whispered while running off in the direction of Walter Manor. He ran as fast as his little yarn legs could go. Time was starting to run out for his friend. He was sure of it.

Lil Steve soon found Walter Manor. He ran in and to his luck, found The Spine in the main living room. He was having a discussion with 3 and 4 who sat on his shoulders. He took a sip from a tall glass of water when he noticed Lil Steve.

"What's the matter, Lil Steve? You look like you've seen a ghost," the automaton said with a soft chuckle. 3 and 4 perked up at the mention of Lil Steve and waved at him, smiling.

"Miss Captain Lady Tabitha is in trouble!" Lil Steve screamed.

The room was silent. 3 and 4 clicked softly and ran fro the nearest bookcase, disappearing. The Spine was surprisingly calm as he stood up and made his way to the main entrance. He grabbed Lil Steve and placed him on his shoulder.

"Lead the way, Lil Steve," The Spine grumbled as he grabbed his flowing trench-coat from a nearby coat rack. Lil Steve hoped Miss Captain Lady Tabitha was fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will happen next?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Help arrives for Tabitha and a certain someone rethinks her life choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's more graphic violence in this one, folks. I'm sure it'll die down eventually

Tabitha flinched as Rena hit her over the head with the blunt edge of her cleaver. She was starting to wonder why she hadn't passed out yet. She was sure she would have a concussion if this continued.

She sighed in relief as Rena finally stopped.

"Is that it?" She asked sarcastically. Rena moved over and let Shion take over. She held a round stone in her hand. Giggling, she pulled out a marker and drew an eye on it.

"Would you like a new eyeball?" Shion asked in a mocking tone. Tabitha only glared at her. Her glare disappeared immediately as Shion forced her wounded eye socket open and shoved the stone inside. It scratched the inside painfully, making her cry out.

"Very pretty," Rena cooed.

"I don't like it," Shion muttered and proceeded to painfully pull the stone out. Tabitha gasped in agony as her face was scratched in the process. She looked on in disgust as Shion held the bloody stone with pride.

"What's next?" Shion asked while wiping the blood off her hands.

"SUFFER THE WRATH OF WALTER MANOR, YOU WHORES!" A familiar voice cried out. Tabitha's vision was blurry from blood in her eye. She heard a scream from one of the girls. She could faintly see a dark form barge into the form of Rena. Tabitha felt something soft and fuzzy jump onto her shoulder.

We came to help ya, Miss Captain Lady Tabitha," Lil Steve said while wiping away the blood from her eye.

Tabitha smiled weakly as she tried to hold her head up. She saw Rena running off, holding her injured arm. She grimaced slightly when she heard another scream. She looked in its direction and saw the snakelike form of The Spine slowly squeezing the life out of a struggling Shion. His abandoned chassis laid on the ground not too far away. Shion tried hacking at his coils with a knife but didn't leave so much as a scratch. Tabitha watched in horror as he tightened his grip on her. His stoic expression remained unchanged.

"You shouldn't have hurt my friend, miss," he growled in a voice like thunder. Shion screamed as he squeezed harder.

"Oh man. Look away, Miss Captain Lady Tabitha. This is gonna get ugly," Lil Steve whispered while covering his eyes.

Tabitha closed her eye despite her pain and listened tot he death cried of Shion. The screams soon turned to wet gasps for air. Tabitha shivered as she heard the sickening sounds of bones splintering and breaking. There was one final gasping wheeze followed by an eerie silence.

"Disgusting," The Spine muttered.

Tabitha opened her eye and saw the automaton uncoil himself from around the limp body of Shion with a soft hiss of steam escaping from his cheek vents. She shivered slightly at the look of pained horror stuck on her oppressor's face. Her once green eyes were now bloodshot and stared into nothingness.

The Spine slithered into his chassis and quickly made his way over to Tabitha's side. He was silent as he easily broke the chains with a simple squeeze. He stared intently into Tabitha's eyes to avoid gazing at her nude form. Tabitha leaned forward and rested her head against his chest. She heard the familiar interior workings she had once heard from Rabbit and found comfort from its strange warmth. The Spine didn't object.

"Are you okay, Miss Tabitha?" He finally asked once she was free. Tabitha fell to her knees and tried to cover herself up with her thin arms. She blushed bright red in embarrassment.

"I…I'll live," she muttered. She shivered as a cool gust of wind blew past her. It was getting dark. The Spine pulled off his trench coat and draped it around her trembling shoulders

"You look terrible, Miss Tabitha. I thought I told you to be safe. Rabbit's having a fit right now," The Spine said while glancing over his shoulder as if expecting his sister to come running after them. Tabitha was confused.

"How does she know?"

The Spine tapped the side of his head with a knowing half-smirk.

"Walter wifi. I sent her a message before I came to help. Now, we have to get you back to the manor. Can you walk?" He asked while helping her up. Tabitha nodded affirmative and tried to walk, despite her wobbly knees. Her legs were badly cut, but she somehow found the strength to stand.

"We have to get rid of the body," she said.

They stared at the crumpled body before them. Lil Steve scurried over to the body and kicked it.

"She deserved it," he commented.

At that moment, the opening to Grell's tent opened up and a grumpy Grell walked out.

"What the devil is with all of this commotion? I'm trying to make a prostitute look fabulou sin her own bloo-," he stopped as he took in the scene. He saw th ebody and smiled a toothy smile. He pulled out a watch and his little black book along with a pen. He began writing.

"Ah, 4:20. Right on time. Name? Shion Sonazaki. Age? Seventeen. Cause of death? Strangled and crushed by The Spine. How gruesome," he giggled. He finished writing and approached the group. He caught Tabitha's eye and winked at her.

"You poor little soul. Look at what they did to you. That's gonna leave a mark. Perhaps I should put you out of your misery," he snickered while pulling out a rather large pair of scissors.

"You will do nothing of the sort, Mr. Sutcliffe," The Spine growled while standing defensively in front of Tabitha.

"SHE'S WITH US, MR. SLUTCLIFFE! IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH MISS CAPTAIN LADY TABITHA, I'LL HEAD-BUTT YOU TO OBLIVION!" Lil Steve screamed from The Spine's shoulder. He puffed out his chest to look intimidating as possible, but failed as Grell only laughed at him.

"Oh! How scary," he said mockingly and continued, "The poor thing's going to die anyway. Do you really want her to suffer from all this pain?"

"Let's go, everyone. He's wasting our time," The Spine growled while leading everyone away. Tabitha looked back and saw Grell waving farewell before dragging Shion's limp body into his tent. She felt uneasy at the sight and looked away.

Each step she took made her wince in agony. The Spine kept a hand on her back in case she were to fall over. She held back her soft cries and tried to find something else to think about. Amanda. Her only sister was dead. She couldn't stop the tears from running down. She pulled The Spine's trench coat tighter around her as a cold gust of wind blew past the group.

"Are you okay, Miss Captain Lady Tabitha?" Lil Steve asked from the Spine's shoulder. Tabitha sighed softly. She didn't want to break down now.

"My…My sister is dead. Pinkamena murdered her," Tabitha whispered in a choked voice.

The Spine stopped in his tracks to stare at her in disbelief. Tabitha wiped away more tears and smiled grimly.

"I know how and when I"m going to die as well. It just keeps getting better," she sighed.

Lil Steve hopped down and landed on her shoulder. He stared at her with his blank, button eyes and proceeded to hug her face.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Tabitha," he murmured.

"If I had a heart, it would be breaking. I'm disgusted by Uncle T and what he does to young ladies like you," The Spine grumbled while gently patting her shoulder. Tabitha noticed his hand was trembling despite his stoic expression.

Tabitha managed to smile and winced in pain. Her mind was going foggy and it hurt terribly. She groaned as she held her head in her hands. The pain was getting more intense. It was the shock getting to her. 

"I…I don't feel good," she whimpered as she fell. The Spine grabbed her before she fell to the ground, looking frightened. Lil Steve clung to his shoulder.

"You're going into shock, Miss Tabitha. I got you," The Spine said in calm voice while cradling her in his arms. 

Tabitha cried out as an immense wave of pain coursed through her. She heard The Spine shout something as she drifted into darkness.

 

Pinkamena Diane Pie watched on silently as Uncle T inserted multiple wires into a boy's exposed brain. A girl was strapped to a chair across from him, crying silently under the electrical wires attached to her.

"Don't cry, darling. We'll let ya go if your friend tells us to stop," Uncle T cooed and continued talking to the boy, "We're gonna hurt your friend again, buddy. If you want us to stop, then let us know."

He looked to Pinkamena and nodded. Pinkamena sighed and hit the switch. The girl screamed as electricity coursed through her. The boy struggled in the chair and tried to protest.

"P-P-P'ls…st's'p…'op…D'nt…h'r'rt," the boy stammered weakly. He looked away in defeat. Uncle T smiled and knelt next to the boy, forcing him to look at the girl. 

"Are you telling us to stop, buddy? Do you want us to stop hurting your friend? Just tell us when. That's all you have to do, my boy. Do you want her to die?" He asked seriously.

"S-S-St'ti'up…Pl-l-l'es…," the boy continued to stammer. Uncle T chuckled and poked at his brain with a claw, gaining a scream from the boy. Pinkamena should have felt joy at this, but Tabitha's question floated around her head. These kids were obviously not having any fun. But Uncle T looked like he was having fun. That makes it okay…right? Is it fine when at least someone is having fun?

"Pinkie? Turn off the switch, please," Uncle T ordered. Pinkamena stared at him blankly and turned off the machine. The girl was silent. Uncle T walked over to her side and checked for responsiveness. He shook hi ahead with a chuckle.

"It seems that you couldn't save your friend, buddy. What a shame. I guess we have to kill you now. Would you like to kill him, Pinkie?" He asked.

Pinkamena glanced at the boy who seemed to be slowly slipping away. His head hung in defeat at the sight of his dead friend. She swore she could hear him whimpering softly. The poor soul was suffering. This was not fun anymore.

"I…You can do it, sir. I'll clean up after," Pinkamena muttered. Uncle T watched her suspiciously before turning back to the boy with a chuckle. She knew he would be suspicious. Pinkamena quickly got out of the room without looking back.

She was so confused. She wanted to find joy in what she did, but Tabitha's words haunted her. Perhaps senseless killing was a bad thing. She heard a scream come from the room behind her. Was Uncle T's killing senseless? Of course not! He killed to make money and to entertain. She understood his reasons to kill. That was why he set up this circus. That's why he recruited many people, mostly maniacs and unique people, to work for him. The only sane ones were the residents of Walter Manor.

Uncle T wanted to entertain those who actually paid to come to watch his torture shows. Those were mostly madmen, mad scientists, and the occasional dark spirit. not only that, but some people would pay a lot of money for certain body parts and special dissection videos. Pinkamena wondered of this was all worth it. Could she still continue killing? Perhaps…

"Pinkie! Get in here! The boy's already dead!" Uncle T's voice called out from the room.

Pinkamena sighed and went back in. She wanted to feel disgust at the sight of the dead children, but her past experiences prevented her from feeling it. Uncle T watched her curiously as she began cleaning up the mess.

"What's wrong, Pinkie? You're not your usual happy self," Uncle T commented.

"I…I don't feel too well, sir," she lied.

Before Uncle T could respond, the door slammed open from the other room.

"Uncle T? Uncle T! Where are you? There's been an incident!" A voice called out. Pinkemena recognized that voice.

"We're in here, Rena," Uncle T replied.

Rena appeared in the doorway. The poor girl looked frazzled. Blood stained her outfit. She held her bleeding arm tightly, wincing in pain every time it moved.

"What happened, Rena?" Pinkamena asked while going to her to help. Rena was breathing heavily as if she had been chased by some monster. She gulped and began to slowly compose herself.

"Shion is dead. The residents from that manor attacked us when we were torturing that new girl. Grell has her body right now. It was awful," Rena said while wiping away tears.

Pinkamena felt a cold shiver run down her spine and looked to Uncle T. His expression was calm, but his eyes were filled with anger.

"Why were you torturing Miss Tabitha? She belongs to me and Pinkie," he growled.

Rena's gaze fell on Pinkamena. Pinkamena quickly shook her head no.

_Don't do it._

"Pinkie started it. She left us before we were attacked. She told us that we could do what we wanted with her," Rena confessed. Uncle T's cold glare fell on Pinkamena, making her blood grow cold.

"Why did you leave them, Pinkamena?" He asked calmly. Pinkamena noticed his claws beginning to glow. Not good. Not good at all.

"I…I had better things to do," she muttered.

She couldn't tell the truth. Uncle T groaned loudly, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"Will you ever stop lying to me, Pinkie? I'll deal with you later. I have some friends to visit," he hissed while makin this way out of the room. He suddenly grabbed Rena and threw her to the floor, making her cry out in pain as she landed on a shard of glass. He chucked and left the room. Pinkamena rushed over to her and helped her up.

"You're in trouble," Rena whispered.

 

Grell was just finishing up cleaning the body of the deceased Shion Sonazaki when he sensed it. He paused, pulling gout his record book. It was glowing.

"What's this?" He asked to no one in particular.

He opened the book and saw the entry. He smiled at the sudden change.

"Well, this is very interesting," he crowed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha wakes up to find herself in danger once again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots and lots of Rabbit X Tabitha fluff in this one :3  
> Also, there's a short nightmare torture scene near the end of this chapter that's bloody and graphic

Tabitha groaned. Her head was throbbing more than usual. Her whole body stung horribly as she shifted a bit.

Those girls. They had tortured her for who knows how long. She could remember the cold bite of the metal and she shivered. She also remembered how The Spine came to help her. She didn't remember anything after that.

Tabitha forced her eye open and found herself in a strange room. This wasn't Rabbit's room. It looked more like a hospital room. Tabitha looked to the side and saw a glass of water on a nightstand. She grabbed it and drank it, savoring the cool taste.

As she drank, she watched the sleeve of her gown go down to reveal multiple stitched-up scars. She paused as she stared at it. She put the drink down and observed the scars. She pulled up her skirt and saw even more scars that ran up her legs. She felt her cheek and felt the stitch work. She touched her damaged eye and saw that it was bandaged again. Good.

She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and spun around to face it. She winced in pain as she felt some stitches stretch a bit.

"Oh! I'm so sorry for startling you, Miss Tabitha. I was reading a book and noticed you were awake," a familiar voice called out.

Tabitha watched as Fluttershy walked forward, looking worried yet relieved to see her awake.

"Where am I, Fluttershy?" Tabitha asked.

"You're in the infirmary, Miss Tabitha. Mr. The Spine brought you here. You looked terrible, but I was able to patch you up," Fluttershy chimed.

"How…How long have I been out?" Tabitha asked as she rubbed the back of her aching neck. She was glad to find that it was untouched by the scars.

"Around an hour. Walter Manor is lucky they have me. I'm the best nurse around here," Fluttershy chimed.

Tabitha thought of Rabbit. Did she know where she was at the moment?

"Where's Rabbit?" She asked.

Fluttershy paused, looking frightened before a second before she sighed.

"I think she's somewhere around the manor. I heard her outburst when she found out you were in trouble. It was terrible. I last saw her going out to the gardens. She goes there a lot when she's not feeling good. I think you'll find her there," Fluttershy said.

"Can I go to her now? I want to see her and tell her I'm okay," Tabitha said while getting out of the bed.

"I guess you can go. Just don't strain yourself. Those stitches are new," Fluttershy informed her with a small smile as she went to sit at a nearby desk.

"Thank you for treating me, Fluttershy," Tabitha thanked her as she left the room.

Tabitha checked her surroundings and recognized the floor. This was where she was first taken. She knew where to go. She walked forward an glanced at the door to the Hall of Wires. She decided not to go there at the moment. She needed to see Rabbit and tell her that she was okay.

Tabitha found the staircase and made her way down. Her thoughts were a mess. They would switch between thoughts on Rabbit and thoughts of her recent abuse. It confused her. She needed to find some time to relax and clear her mind.

Tabitha finally reached the ground floor and looked around. Voices could be heard from the main living room. None of the voices were Rabbit. She was most likely in the gardens.

"Oh, there you are, Miss Tabitha," a voice said from behind her. Tabitha turned around and saw Hatchworth. The automaton smiled at her and patted her shoulder before suddenly freezing as he saw her stitches. He grimaced slightly, steam pouring out of his chimney pipe.

"You…You look great. Would you like a sandwich, dear?" He asked with a smile.

Before Tabitha could respond, Hatchworth hunched over, his chest glowing a bright blue. Tabitha watched in fascination as he pulled out a turkey sandwich out of the glowing hatch in his chest. He then handed it to her as if it was the most normal thing he has done. Tabitha carefully took it and bit into it. Delicious. She then wolfed it down, gaining a small giggle from the bronze automaton.

"How did you do that?" Tabitha asked once she had finished.

"I have a portal in my chest, dear. I can pull anything out of it," Hatchworth explained.

"That's cool," Tabitha chimed and continued in a more serious tone, "Do you know where Rabbit is?"

Hatchworth was silent for a moment, his faceplates shifting into a sorrowful expression. That didn't look good.

"She's at the duck pond. It's just beyond the gardens and the graveyard. Proceed with caution, dear. She hasn't taken the news about you being tortured too well. I'll let the others know you're fine," he said while walking off.

Tabitha watched him go before she made her way outside through a very large kitchen that had a back door. It was already dark out. Multiple lamps littered the ground that lead to the garden. Tabitha entered and ignored the beautiful flowers as she continued on her way. She finally saw the entrance to a rather large graveyard after a few minutes. She proceeded silently, respecting the dead.

The sound of ducks now filled the air. Tabitha saw a gate ahead that lead to a pond. Looking beyond the gate, Tabitha saw her. Rabbit sat silently on a bench. She absentmindedly tossed bits of bread to the ducks. Her mismatched optics stared blankly ahead. Her faceplates were stained with oil. It was a sad sight.

Tabitha opened the gate. It creaked loudly, making the ducks protest angrily and swim away. Rabbit perked up at the sound and turned to look at Tabitha. Her faceplates were blank for a moment before ether shifted into a sad smile. She scooted over and patted the space next to her. Tabitha walked over and sat next to her. They sat together in silence in the cool night air. Tabitha felt Rabbit's cool fingers grasp hers. It felt…nice.

"I'm g-g-glad you're safe," Rabbit whispered while gently squeezing her hand. Tabitha scooted closer to rest her aching head on Rabbit's shoulder. She felt an arm snake around her shoulders and pull her close. Tabitha smiled at the loving act. She was glad that someone deeply cared for her.

"It still stings a bit," Tabitha muttered after a few minutes. Some of her scars were starting to irritate her.

Steam poured out of Rabbit's mouth as she hissed softly. She gently touched touched one of Tabitha's stitches on her cheek, her optics narrowing into blue and green slits as more steam poured from her mouth and cheek vents.

"Why were ya wa-wa-wandering around by yourself?" She asked in a soft voice.

Tabitha sighed. She had to tell the truth.

"I was looking for your friend, Grell Sutcliffe. I was told that he could tell me when and how I…will die…," Tabitha trailed off.

"Why?"

Tabitha paused. She didn't want to cause any more distress for her friend. She looked up at Rabbit and saw the sorrow in her faceplates. She saw oil brimming in her optics.

"Rabbit! Tabitha! Big trouble!" A high-pitched voice screeched in the distance.

Tabitha looked up and saw the strangest creature running after them. It looked like a miniature robot giraffe. It stopped in front of them, panting heavily.

"What is it, GG?" Rabbit asked, annoyed that she had been interrupted in a somewhat heartfelt moment with Tabitha. GG twitched a bit and glanced around as if being watched.

"Uncle T is on his way! He's coming for Tabitha!" GG said anxiously.

Rabbit growled at the mention of Uncle T. Tabitha shivered as she remembered her last encounter with him. She touched her bandaged eye as she recalled the burning pain as he gouged out her eye. Rabbit noticed her discomfort and pulled her into a comforting hug.

"I wo-wo-won't let that bastard get ya, baby. I-I-I promise," Rabbit whispered in her ear. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against Tabitha's. All Tabitha could see were her glowing optics staring longingly into her own red eye. Tabitha couldn't help but giggle softly as Rabbit smirked.

"We don't have time for this romantic nonsense, ladies! Uncle T is on his way!" GG screamed as she forced her way between the two. The robot giraffe shook her head angrily as Rabbit reluctantly pulled away from Tabitha.

"GG, take Tabitha to my-my-my room. Make sure she's safe. I'll see what I-I-I can do," she said.

GG went over to Tabitha and extended a scrawny leg to her.

"We have to go now, Miss Tabitha. We need to get you somewhere safe. Don't worry, I'm strong," GG chimed. Tabitha looked to Rabbit. She was holding back oily tears. She sniffed and smiled in an almost maniacal way.

"G-G-Go.You'll be-be-be s-s-safe. We'll be-be -be together s-s-s-soon," Rabbit stammered more than usual.

With that, Rabbit ran off and disappeared into the dark. Tabitha wanted to call out to her friend, but knew that it would only make things worse.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tugging on her dress. She looked down at an annoyed GG.

"We're wasting time, girlie. Let's go!" She screamed while leading Tabitha back into Walter Manor.

Tabitha had to run to keep up with the robot giraffe. She could never imagine something like this happening in her life, but it was actually happening.

"So, you're the girl that Rabbit fell for. She won't shut up about you. It's annoying. More annoying than me," GG snickered.

"I've heard that a lot," Tabitha replied with a smile. She was starting to accept the fact that Rabbit loved her. It made her feel tingly inside just thinking about it.

The two made small talk as they made their way up seemingly endless stairs until they finally found themselves in front of the Hall of Faces. GG turned to Tabitha and motioned for her to go inside.

"You stay here, Tabitha. Someone will come by later. Not me. I'm gonna find myself a panic room," she said before running off.

Tabitha wanted to object, but stopped. She turned and went into the Hall of Faces. All was silent in the dim room.

She waited. And waited. And waited. She grew bored after twenty minutes and decided to look at some of the photographs and masks on the walls. Tabitha immediately saw Rabbit's evolution as she saw many different versions of her friend in the masks and photographs. She was in awe as she watched her friend change. She smiled at the different variations of Rabbit. Rabbit was still Rabbit no matter what.

Tabitha took down a mask from the wall and searched for her friend in it. She could see the delicate copper curlicues that stood out from the rust and patina. The mask's thin lips were upturned in a manic smirk. Tabitha noticed that the faceplates were adjustable and rearranged the face until it stared up at her lovingly. It was beautiful. Tabitha smiled back and held it to her chest, sliding down to sit on the floor. She sat there for a long period of time, thinking of many things.  
She wondered what was going down downstairs. Was Uncle T in the manor right now? There was only one way to find out.

Placing a quick kiss on the masks cool lips, she place fit back on the wall and exited the room. The halls were silent as she thought about what to do. She found a staircase and made her way down. Angry voices could be heard somewhere. As Tabitha got closer, they became clearer.

"Miss Tabitha's been through a lot, sir. She deserves a break from your abuse," The Spine's voice growled. A cold chuckle quickly followed.

"I want to see her for myself. Besides, it was YOU who murdered my friend, The Spine. That's another reason why I'm here. Now, where is Miss Tabitha?" The voice of Uncle T hissed.

"You s-s-stay away from M-Miz Tabitha! She don't d-d-deserve being tortured!" The voice of Rabbit cried out.

Tabitha looked around the corner and saw the scene before her. Uncle T stood at the main entrance, looking menacing as ever. The robots and a rather large group of pale men and women with blue hair blocked his path.

"Those are strong words for a robot, Miss Rabbit. You talk like Little Miss Tabitha is your girl. Heh, the poor thing's way out of your league," Uncle T crowed. An awkward silence fell. Tabitha saw Rabbit steaming with fury. Her brothers tried to calm her, but with no success. Uncle T chuckled once more and his gaze fell on Tabitha.

"Look who's here. Come forward, Miss Tabitha," he said, his voice dripping with acid. Tabitha gasped softly and tried to hide in the shadows, but everyone's attention was on her. She saw the looks of horror and defeat in the optics of her robotic friends. She refused to look at Rabbit as she came forward, keeping her focus on Uncle T, whose wicked smile grew as she approached. She stopped once she was in front of him and looked up to glare at the devil himself.

"Have you enjoyed your stay, darling?" He purred. Tabitha refused to speak to him. She could hear one of the robots hiss with steam.

"Answer me, darling," he growled while placing a clawed hand on her shoulder.

"Keep your d-d-damn hands off-off her, ya bastard!" Rabbit screamed as she lunged forward and and pulled Tabitha to her side. Everyone cried out in surprise as she unhinged her jaws and unleashed blue flames on Uncle T. Tabitha screamed as she saw the ferocity of her friend's attack. Her screamed died down when she realized that Uncle T was now died. She smiled grimly as she watched the fire.

The flames soon disappeared and Tabitha saw that Uncle T was still there. He was impossibly unharmed. He brushed off some ash from his shoulder in annoyance.

"My dear Rabbit, you should already know that fire doesn't harm me. Now, where were we? Ah! Miss Tabitha, I want to know if you're ready for another….session," he hissed menacingly. Tabitha felt Rabbit pull her closer, away from him.

"She's a-a-already had enough, Uncle T. P-P-Please, leave mah girl a-a-alone," Rabbit pleaded.

Everyone was silent once again. Tabitha felt cool fingers anxiously run through her hair as they waited for what Uncle T had to say. It was taking too long. Tabitha decided that enough was enough and spoke up.

"Let me heal, Uncle T. Once O'm better, you can…do what you want with me. Leave my friends alone," she said as confidently as she could. Uncle T was silent as he though on her offer.

"I'll give you time, darling. You'll be better by then. Also, I expect to see you at the next show in two weeks. I'll get you after that," he crowed and then turned to The Spine, "And I'll speak with you later about the death of my friend. Now, I have other matters to attend to."

He turned to leave without another word. Rabbit flipped him the bird as he left. Everyone watched him leave until he was out of sight.

"Why d-d-did ya leave my room, Tabitha?" Rabbit finally broke the silence. She pulled Tabitha into a tight hug and refused to let go.

"I…I had to," Tabitha admitted as she hugged her back.

Tabitha looked around and saw a strange new face. The man wore what looked like a keyhole mask over his face, giving him a permanent blank expression. He cocked his head to the side as he watched her.

"So, you're the new girl I've heard about. You should let her go, Rabbit. You're going to squeeze the life out of the girl," the man said with a giggle.

Rabbit sighed and reluctantly released Tabitha. She kept a hand on her shoulder as Keyhole-Face man walked forward and stared her down.

"Who are you?" Tabitha asked.

"I am Peter A. Walter VI, Miss Tabitha. I am the owner of Walter Manor…well, I used to be until Uncle T came along. We're only used for publicity to bring in future victims. I…I don't want to talk about it. I…must return to my office," Peter said unhappily as he rushed off.

"What do we do now?" Tabitha asked once the strange Peter Walter was gone. The members of Walter Manor mumbled amongst themselves over the issue. The group disbanded and Rabbit walked over to her.

"The others w-w-will decided what to do with ya once they hear what you're singing is-is-is like. The Spine says ya have a-a-a lovely voice. Can ya sing for us, baby?" Rabbit asked.

Tabitha nodded and closed her eyes, thinking of a song. She would sing Fever again. She imagined the beat once more and started.

 

A FEW HOURS LATER….

Tabitha yawned as she looked out the window. She had had a long night of practicing new song for the upcoming show. She was at first uncertain, but with the help of Rabbit, she adjusted well. Everyone approved of her singing skills and quickly got her situated with their music, She had discovered that the robots were once a popular band called Steam Powered Giraffe and they were the only residents of the circus who could leave for short periods of time to bring publicity and supplies.

The morning light lit up Rabbit's room beautifully. She had already received pajamas from the generosity of one of the pale woman who called themselves Walter Workers. She wore a large, black shirt that had a Steam Powered Giraffe logo on it along with a pair of red shorts. It was very comfortable.

There was a soft, mechanical gasp from behind her. Tabitha smirked as her vision was obscured by long, white fingers. A soft giggle filled the air as she was pulled close to a cool chassis.

"G-G-Guess who?" A familiar voice cooed. Tabitha felt a puff of hot steam on her cheek.

"I want to sleep, Rabbit," Tabitha tried to say seriously. She couldn't hide the humor in her voice and giggled as Rabbit pecked her on the cheek. Her vision returned and she faced her robotic friend. Rabbit wore a loose fitting pink tank top along with black shorts for pajamas. Seeing more of her friend's clockwork body fascinated Tabitha. She almost looked human.

"Dummins," Rabbit pouted playfully. Her manic smile returned as she lovingly nuzzled Tabitha. Her pink hair ticked her face.

Tabitha knew that Rabbit loved her but she was unsure about what she felt for her friend. She was conflicted by the fact that a robot had grown to love her. She never had any lovers while growing up and wasn't really interested in romance, or whatever feelings she felt for Rabbit, until now. And there was the fact that Rabbit was over a hundred years older than her. She had probably been in many different relationships before meeting Tabitha. She shrugged away the thought. She could ask Rabbit about that later.

Tabitha guessed that all didn't matter when it came to love. She still needed time to think about her feelings.

"What's w-w-wrong, baby? Ya look confused," Rabbit said, bringing Tabitha out of her thoughts.

"I…I'm just tired," Tabitha replied with another yawn. Rabbit beamed down at her and let her go. She closed the massive drapes over the window, enclosing the room in dim darkness. Tabitha was already in bed as Rabbit went over to her armchair. All Tabitha could see of her friend were her glowing mismatched optics.

"You've been through so-so-so much, Miz Tabitha. Ya d-d-deserve a long rest. We have a big n-n-night tomorrow," Rabbit chimed.

Tabitha smiled and closed her eye. She could hear Rabbit humming softly as she fell asleep.

 

 _Tabitha found herself strapped down to an operating table. She cried out in terror as she took in her surroundings. She was back in that empty room where she and her sister were tortured. Loud opera mus_ ic played from somewhere, adding to the already terrifying atmosphere. Tabitha struggled and froze when a chuckle filled the air.

" _Time to die, darling," a familiar voice hissed. She felt claw-like fingers dig into her face, drawing blood. She screamed as the claws dragged themselves along her nude body, creating long, ugly gashes._

_"Poor little thing, No one can help you. It's just you and me, darling," the voice purred. She saw toxic yellow eyes staring hungrily at her from the darkness. The music was louder now, drowning out her screams until she lost the ability to make any sound. The claws glowed hot as they tore into her skin, sending her into never-ending agony. She wanted it to end. She wanted to be back at Walter Manor. She wanted to be with Rabbit._

_"Your friend's right here, darling. She can't help you," the voice crowed while forcing her to look ahead. She saw her. Rabbit sat calmly in stasis in a nearby chair. She appeared so tranquil in this nightmare. Tabitha tried to call out for her, but nothing came out._

_RABBIT!_

_Tabitha's stomach was torn open. She watched in horror as her insides were torn out. She couldn't fight back. She couldn't scream. She could only watch as she was torn apart._

_RABBIT, HELP ME!_   
_The claws moved down to he flower regions. She wriggled in pain as the claws tore at her in places where the sun don't shine. She tried to scream out as sharp teeth bit into her shoulder, but all that came out was a weak croak._

_NO!NO!NO!_

You are my sunshine

_Where was that voice coming from? Tabitha managed to look up but found only darkness and pain._

My only sunshine

_She knew that voice, The claws disappeared along with the terrible pain and the loud opera music._

You make me happy

_Tabitha felt another body laying next to her. It wasn't the monster. She wasn't in the room of torture anymore._

When sky's are gray

_She felt slender arms gently wrap around her waist and pull her close to a cool, metal chassis. She wanted to wake up, but couldn't at the moment._

You'll never know dear

_Her terror disappeared. She was back in Rabbit's room._

How much I love you

_Rabbit was with her. She could properly hear her friend's beautiful voice._

Please don't take my sunshine away

Tabitha's eye slowly fluttered open. She was drenched in a cold sweat from the nightmare. She immediately found herself in the embrace of her dear friend. She turned so that she faced Rabbit properly. The automaton smiled sadly and pulled her closer. Tabitha didn't object. She heard the familiar hum from Rabbit's chest and found comfort from that.

"I-I-I heard ya call for my-my help," Rabbit whispered. Tabitha only rested her head against Rabbit's chest, trembling with broken sobs. She was beyond terrified about what might happen to her in a few weeks. She didn't want to die. And since Amanda was dead, she would die in vain.

"It's o-o-okay, Tabitha. You'll be fine. I won't le-le-let anything happen to ya," Rabbit crooned as she gave Tabitha a gentle squeeze. Tabitha knew that was a lie. There was no stopping the pain and torture that awaited her.

"I'm still going to die," Tabitha muttered.

Rabbit sighed, a small puff of steam escaped from her cheek vents.

"Don't t-t-talk like that, baby. D-D-Don't focus on the future. Stay in the present. You'll make yourself s-sick thinking about what's to-to come. Just…stay with me," Rabbit whispered as she kissed the top of Tabitha's head. They laid together in silence for what felt like forever. Tabitha felt her fear slip away and she went back to sleep. Rabbit stayed with her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha and Rabbit take their relationship to the next level before the big show while an unlikely ally considers joining forces to take down Uncle T

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some steamy scenes which show how bad I am at writing these kind of scenes XD  
> Well, at least I think my skills are bad. I guess you'll just have to read and see. It can't be that bad, right???

Three uneventful nights had passed at Walter Manor. Tabitha spent most her time by Rabbit's side during rehearsals and free time. Spending time with Rabbit kept her mind off of the troublesome future set out for her. The two grew closer as they spent most of their downtime either talking or exploring. Tabitha enjoyed being shown around the manor and discovering what secrets it held in its many doorless rooms.

Tabitha let Rabbit sleep with her after that horrible nightmare. She just couldn't handle more nightmares after that. Hearing the sounds of her friend helped her sleep and calmed her senses.

Tabitha had grown close to everyone she met, both human and robot alike. They had offered her kindness in this hell of a circus and she was grateful for all they had done to keep her safe and happy.

 

Tabitha woke up on the seventh day of staying in Walter Manor. She found that Rabbit was gone. She was probably up to something elsewhere in the manor. Tabitha would sometimes find her friend doing odd activities and she would join her. Her favorite activity was a tea party with small stuffed animals and dolls.

Tabitha stretched and got out of bed. She passed by a mirror and paused. She noticed that she looked…older due to the scars that decorated her body. She hoped she looked acceptable for the upcoming show. She needed something new.

A new outfit. Her current outfit was too plain and her borrowed clothes were not worthy for performing in. Maybe Rabbit had something she could borrow in her closet. Tabitha walked over and went into Rabbit's enormous closet. She was greeted by many mechanical mannequins that displayed many of Rabbit's dresses. They all looked fantastic, but which one could she go with?

Tabitha glanced at one short-sleeved dress that caught her eye. It looked big, but she didn't care. She slipped out of her nightdress and pulled the dress off the mannequin. It was very loose around the middle, but everything else seemed fine. Tabitha went over to a mirror and checked herself out. There had to be something to help tighten the dress. Tabitha glanced around a saw a small trunk. There could be something in there. She opened the trunk to find endless belts.

"This can work," she muttered to herself as she pulled out four belts. She wrapped them around the middle and tightened them until the dress hugged her middle. She looked back at the mirror and smiled. Much better. This was perfect for the upcoming show.

"Hey, Tabitha! Do ya w-w-want ice cream?" The voice of Rabbit called out. There was a sudden silence.

"Where a-a-are ya, Tabitha?" Rabbit asked worriedly.

"I'm in the closet, Rabbit," Tabitha replied.

"Ya sure are, baby. When w-w-will ya come out?" Rabbit asked jokingly as she appeared in the doorway. She froze when she saw Tabitha and then burst into laughter. Tabitha couldn't help but laugh along.

"I…I couldn't find anything else to wear for the show," Tabitha attempted to explain. Rabbit wiped away a tear and took in Tabitha's appearance once more. Her smile was playful as she took Tabitha's hands in her own.

"Ya look cute, baby. The only problem is-is-is that it doesn't truly match ya. You need a-a-a makeover, Miz Tabitha," Rabbit crowed as she led her out of the Hall of Faces and into a nearby bathroom. Tabitha was placed in a chair and looked up at Rabbit who was deep in thought. Rabbit looked like she suddenly had an idea and proceeded to look through many different drawers and cabinets, throwing different items around as she searched.

"Hmmm. We should d-d-do something with your hair. It's so white and pale. I-I-I know! Let's dye it!" Rabbit exclaimed while pulling out different bottles of hair dye. She placed the bottles in front of Tabitha and waited eagerly for a response. Tabitha absentmindedly stroked her hair as she took int he situation before her.

"Are you sure about this, Rabbit?" She asked.

"Of c-c-course! It'll be great. Close your eyes, baby. I'll make this a-a-a surprise for ya," Rabbit said while pulling gout a blindfold. Before Tabitha could protest, a blindfold was put over her eye.

"I trust you, Rabbit. I hope you do a good job," Tabitha said with a smirk.

"Don't worry. I'm g-g-gonna make ya look amazing," Rabbit cooed while running her cool hands through Tabitha's long hair. Tabitha tried to relax as she let her friend give her a much-needed makeover.

ONE HOUR LATER….

"Are ya read to look, baby?" Rabbit asked excitedly as she finished working on Tabitha. Tabitha nodded. Rabbit giggled and took away the blindfold. Tabitha gasped at the girl in the mirror. Her hair was dyed black with pink highlights. Along wight he hair was the makeup. Rabbit had applied black lipstick to her bottom lip and red for her upper lip. Rabbit pulled out some eyeliner and mascara and proceeded to finish up the makeup for her. Tabitha smiled at herself when Rabbit finally finished. She looked much different in the mirror

"Ya l-l-look beautiful, Miz Tabitha," Rabbit cooed as she leaned down and kissed Tabitha's cheek. Tabitha shivered inwardly as she felt her cold kisses. It was strange, but she enjoyed it. It made her feel warm despite the cold, She had to return the favor somehow. She quickly thought of what she could do.

"Thank you, Rabbit. I look amazing," Tabitha said as she hugged the automaton. She really did love her.

"It's all because I-I-I love ya, baby," Rabbit purred while going back down to kiss her on the cheek. Tabitha smiled mischievously as she surprised Rabbit by kissing her first.

It was the first time Tabitha had truly kissed anyone and it turned out that her first kiss was with a robot. It was…exhilarating. Rabbit tasted like the many times Tabitha licked pennies and pieces of rubber during her childhood. It was bitter, but also sweet and cool. It should have been revolting, but Tabitha ignored the first feeling of revulsion she felt as she continued the deep kiss.

Tabitha heard Rabbit whistle like a tea kettle as steam poured from her cheek vents. She felt hot steam pour into her lungs. It felt amazing. Slender arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer into the kiss. Tabitha gasped softly as as he felt a cool tongue poke into her mouth and explore.. Rabbit only giggled as she joined Tabitha in the chair, pulling her into her lap. Tabitha knew where this was heading and it scared her a bit. What was it going to be like? Especially with a robot? She would find out soon enough.

Rabbit finally pulled away with a playful smirk. She blew a large cloud of steam from her mouth that hung around them.

"D-D-Don't ya think we-we need a change in scenery, baby?" She purred in her ear. A cool hand creeped up her leg and rested on her thigh. Tabitha blushed despite being scared. She wasn't sure if she was ready.

"Are…Are you sure we should…do this? I'm not sure if I'm…ready," Tabitha admitted. Rabbit was silent for a moment before her faceplates shifted into an expression of sympathy. She gave Tabitha a gentle squeeze.

"I-I-I can wait if you're not re-re-ready, Tabitha. It's your choice," Rabbit said while kissing the top her head.

"Thanks, Rabbit," Tabitha smiled as she rested her head on Rabbit's shoulder. She just needed time to prepare herself. She had heard tales that the first time is always the most frightening and that it can also be painful for some. She wanted to be ready for that day.

"Can we-we-we still make out and cuddle?" Rabbit asked as she nuzzled the side of Tabitha's face.

"We can," Tabitha said with a giggle as she pulled Rabbit close.

 

Six days had passed since the day Tabitha and Rabbit took their relationship to the next level. Things hadn't changed much except for Rabbit being a bit more flirty and cuddly around her. She would sometimes pull her to the side during rehearsals to steal a kiss from her. Tabitha had enjoyed it until The Spine caught them and would tell them to focus and keep it elsewhere.

Tabitha remembered the day after she and Rabbit expanded on their relationship as she sat in bed.

_She was just wandering around one of the many halls when she was suddenly pulled into a dark room. She was about to scream until she saw familiar mismatched optics staring at her intensely._

_"I want you to get lost," Rabbit growled and then continued cheerfully, "In my eyes as I stare into yours!"_

_Tabitha couldn't help but blush and burst into laughter at the remark. Rabbit joined her and held her close._

_"Was that a good one-one, baby?" She asked._

_"It was," Tabitha said with a smile._

_"I still got it!" Rabbit chuckled as she pecked Tabitha's cheek._

Tabitha smiled as she remembered that time. It quickly disappeared as she remembered that the big show was tomorrow. After that, Uncle T would have her for a while. She shivered at the thought of being tortured again. It was still a long time until she would die, but she was still scared. It was going to be horrible. She just knew it.  
Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened. Tabitha watched as Rabbit barged in, holding an accordion that she squeezed every few seconds.

"Good morning, Miz Tabitha! Are ya j-j-just settling in?" Rabbit asked cheerfully.

"I am. It looks like you've been busy," Tabitha smirked as she watched Rabbit play the accordion.

"I have. I followed The Spine around and-and played until he threatened to t-t-take it away. He's a dummins," Rabbit said as she put the accordion away.

Tabitha watched as Rabbit went into the closet to change into pajamas. She felt a horrible sensation in her stomach as her thoughts went back to the show. She had practiced and rehearsed, but didn't feel ready.

"The-The show's tomorrow. Are ya ex-ex-excited, baby?" Rabbit asked as she came out of the closet wearing a black and red nightdress.

"I'm more scared than excited, to be honest," Tabitha admitted. Rabbit was silent as she sat next to Tabitha. She looked worried for a second until her faceplates shifting back to a smile.

"I'm sure it won't be-be-be that bad. You'll come back. That…d-d-day hasn't come yet," Rabbit said with a sad look in her optics.

"That is true, but it's still terrifying," Tabitha muttered as she crawled onto Rabbit's lap, straddling her. They sat there for a while, cuddling in silence. Tabitha's mind went elsewhere as Rabbit gently rubbed her back while humming a tune. She was sure Uncle T had many plans for her that where designed to bring her pain. One thought plagued her mind. What if he wanted to rape her, stealing her virginity? She didn't want to lose it to him.

Tabitha turned her gaze to Rabbit who had her eyes closed. She opened them to stare at her in concern.

"What's wrong, baby?" She asked. Tabitha felt butterflies in her stomach as she prepared to speak. She was ready.

"Rabbit….I think I'm…ready," Tabitha whispered as she rested her head on Rabbit's shoulder. She shivered as she felt a hot puff of steam on her neck.

"Are ya s-s-sure, Tabitha?" Rabbit asked.

Tabitha was silent as she pulled off her nightdress, throwing it to the side. Rabbit gasped as she saw Tabitha's scars.

"Oh my god! Those s-s-scars! What did those girls do to-to ya?" Rabbit cried out.

"They're dead, Rabbit. I'm…I'm not in pain anymore. It's all in the past," Tabitha tried to reassure her. She reached out and stroked Rabbit's faceplates, easing them both. Rabbit's horror slowly melted away from the touch and she smiled lovingly as she leaned close so that she was merely inches from Tabitha's face. Tabitha felt a rumbling purr resonate through Rabbit's body, sending lovely tingles through her core. Her heart almost skipped a beat when she felt a cool hand slide up her bare stomach and gently stroke her breast.

"You're so-so-so….fragile, Tabitha. I'll treat ya with special c-c-care," Rabbit whispered as she wrapped her free arm around her waist, pulling her closer to her cool chassis. The rumbling purr from Rabbit's chassis suddenly intensified, turning into slow yet powerful vibrations. Tabitha quickly covered her mouth to stop her sudden cry of pleasure. She felt her legs instinctively wrap around Rabbit's waist, wanting more.

"Have ya ever used a-a-a vibrator before, baby?" Rabbit chuckled, nuzzling the side of her face.

"N-No. I know about them. I…I never got around to….buying one," Tabitha stammered with a grin.

Rabbit smiled as she pulled Tabitha into a deep kiss. She felt a cool hand slide down her stomach and down her panties where sharp but gentle fingers slowly pushed her open. Tabitha shivered at the touch, but knew what Rabbit was doing.

Rabbit pulled away from the kiss and pushed Tabitha on her back with a giggle. Tabitha laid there with a huge grin, watching her friend. No, Rabbit wasn't her friend anymore at this point. She was more than a friend. A lover.

Tabitha watched in fascination as Rabbit pulled off her night dress, revealing her clockwork body. She was beautiful.

"Ya l-l-like what ya see, baby?" Rabbit asked, winking at her.

"You…You're a work of art. You're amazing," Tabitha said.

"You're a-a-a pretty piece as well," Rabbit crowed as she gently sat on Tabitha's waist, pinning her to the bed. She smirked as she blew a cloud of steam in her face with a loud hiss. The hot steam felt wonderful as Rabbit proceeded to cover her scarred, pale skin with cool kisses. Rabbit moved lower and lower and stopped at her lower stomach. She looked up and smiled lovingly at Tabitha.

"Do ya love me-me, Tabitha?" She asked in a soft voice.

"I…I love you, Rabbit. You're the best woman I've ever met," Tabitha admitted.

Rabbit grinned from ear to ear as she reached forward to gently stroke Tabitha's face. So cool. She loved it. Her hand slowly went back down, tracing along her skin, sending a shiver down Tabitha's spine. Tabitha closed her eyes as she felt Rabbit's teeth rubbing gently against her skin as she pulled off her panties with her mouth. Tabitha felt a wonderful heat take over her body despite the cool of Rabbit's chassis. The heat of passion.

"What a lovely way to burn," she sang softly to herself as Rabbit's fingers and kisses went lower and lower.

 

"Stupid bitch!"

Pinkamena whimpered softly as Uncle T beat her over the head with a piece of wood. Rena, along wight he daughters of Uncle T, Lucy and Nyuu, watched silently from around a corner.

"Please, sir! Stop! You need me! I'm your assistant!" Pinkamena cried out.

"Ill stop when you tell me why you stopped torturing Miss Tabitha. Do you really want to keep this up? It's been five days," Uncle T growled.

Pinkamena didn't want to anger her only friend any further. Telling him her reasons would only make things worse.

"I…I can't tell you that, sir. It'll only make things so much worse," Pinkamena muttered.

"Why is that?" Uncle T asked.

He had her cornered. There was no way to get out of this unless she told him. She had to.

"M-Miss Tabitha told me…that torture and killing isn't….fun for the victims. I…I think she's right," Pinkamena declared. Rena, Lucy, and Nyuu all gasped in shock at her revelation. Uncle T glared at them and they were silent. He turned back to Pinkamena and smiled cruelly.

"Oh, Pinkie. Of course it isn't fun for them. You know damn well that I have to kill and torture. That's how we make money here at the Greatest Show Unearthed. We kill to live. Don't let one victim get into your head, darling. She's going to die like every other poor soul who comes here," Uncle T said as he went up to clean some tools. Pinkamena glared daggers at him. She wanted him to pay. She wanted him to hurt. She wanted him to suffer.

There was only one way to get at him. She would go to Walter Manor and help Miss Tabitha.

"You're dismissed, Pinkie," Uncle T said while waving her off.

Pinkamena turned and left the room. She ignored the curious stares of Rena and Nyuu and the cold stare of Lucy.

"You want to help?" She asked Lucy. Lucy was silent as she followed her.

"Do you have a plan?" She finally asked once they were outside.

"Nope."

 

Tabitha sighed softly as she woke up from her nap. She was having such a wonderful dream about Rabbit. It seemed so real. She paused when she saw the Hall of Faces around her. Clothes littered the floor. She looked down and saw that she was naked. She blushed beet-red. It wasn't a dream.

"G-G-Good morning, sleepyhead," a voice cooed from beside her. Tabitha sifted around and saw Rabbit sitting next to her. The automaton was busy eating from a large bowl of chocolate ice cream. How could she eat? Tabitha quickly brushed the thought away. She had already dealt with stranger things so far.

"Would ya like-like some ice cream, baby?" Rabbit asked as she handed Tabitha an extra spoon. Tabitha's stomach grumbled in response. She smiled and scooted closer next to Rabbit and took the spoon. The ice cream was delicious.

"Did ya e-e-enjoy your first time? Ya kinda passed out-out afterwords. You were out for only ten minutes," Rabbit said. Tabitha was silent for a moment as she recalled the moment. She didn't remember passing out. She remembered Rabbit and the passion and then…she woke up. It was strange that she passed out. Probably because of the past abuse. She ignored those thoughts. Now wasn't the time for that.

Tabitha looked down at her body and saw the small bruises and hickeys that decorated her. She was a bit sore from being handled by a metal being, but she didn't care. It was all out of love. She would be stronger next time.

"It was great, Rabbit. I'm a bit sore, but I'll be fine," she said while snuggling closer. Rabbit smiled and kissed her before taking another bite of ice cream. They continued eating ice cream in silence.

"What was your first time like, Rabbit?" Tabitha asked curiously.

Rabbit thought for a moment, tapping her spoon on her chin.

"I first fell in-in-in love with a toaster," she replied blankly.

"A toaster?" Tabitha questioned. She wanted to know the outrageous reason behind all of this.

"She was s-s-special. She was my-my first love. Sadly, I-I-I broke poor Jenny shortly after b-b-buying her," Rabbit explained sadly.

"Oh. Well you have my condolences. Have you been with any others?" Tabitha asked.

"I have. They've either left or died in horrible accidents," Rabbit said.

Tabitha was silent as she thought of the downsides of being a robot. It was great that you couldn't really die, but that meant you would lose so many loved ones. She looked at Rabbit who appeared sad until her gaze went on her. She smiled sadly as she took her hand in hers.

"Do ya m-m-miss your old life, Tabitha?" She asked.

Tabitha paused as many old memories from her life before coming to the circus washed over her. She remembered her parents and wondered if they were searching for her and Amanda. She would never see them or her parents ever again. She was suddenly brought back to reality as she thought about her upcoming death. She didn't want to the the violent death that was destined to be her end.

Tabitha's shoulders shook violently as she tried to hold back her tears. Rabbit noticed her distress and pulled the trembling Tabitha close. The ice cream was forgotten.

"I'm so-so-so sorry, Tabitha! I didn't m-m-mean for that to happen. I'm sorry," Rabbit said as she rubbed Tabitha's back, soothing her silent cries.

"It…It's…I won't ever see my…family again," Tabitha whimpered.

"I know, baby. I'm sorry I asked th-th-that," Rabbit replied.

Tabitha laid there as Rabbit held her. The cool of Rabbit's chassis and her gentle fingers gently tracing patterns around her skin eventually calmed her. Her sorrow soon subsided for now. There was time for tears later. She wiped away her tears and cuddled close to Rabbit.

"You feeling better, b-b-baby?" Rabbit asked.

"Yeah. I'll be okay for now," Tabitha muttered as she rested her head on Rabbit's chest.

"Get some rest, Tabitha. We have a-a-a big night coming up," Rabbit whispered as she planted a kiss on her cheek.

Tabitha felt a tightness in her chest as she thought about what was coming up. First, the show. Second, Uncle T. It wouldn't end well. She was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was fun. There will be more love scenes in the future and even more blood and gore :D  
> I hope ya'll are enjoying this fic so far


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's showtime and it's allllll going downhill for Tabitha as she must face the horrors of Uncle T once more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Very bloody content in this chapter. Lots of torture  
> Also, Awesome Points to anyone who can figure out what song the band is playing when the show starts :D

Tabitha felt a shiver run down her spine as she looked out at the crowd from behind the curtain of the big tent. They seemed like a crazy bunch of people who were reluctant to be here. Tabitha felt uneasy about everything.

"Miss Tabitha? Are you alright?" A voice asked from behind her. Tabitha turned and faced Hatchworth. The automaton seemed concerned about her.

"I'm fine. Just a bit nervous about the show. These people don't look friendly," Tabitha said while glancing back at the curtain. 

"You'll be fine, dear. Besides, you only have to sing for two songs. Once that's over, you can watch us. It'll be fun," Hatchworth chimed. Tabitha smiled in response.

"Oh! you should go find Rabbit. It's almost showtime," he said while walking off.

Tabitha decided to walk around to find Rabbit. She walked over to the group and didn't see her anywhere. Strange. The other bots, along with Michael Reed and Matthew Smith, were making final preparations for the show. Even GG was preparing to her surprise. They didn't seem concerned about Rabbit. 

"She'll turn up soon," she muttered to herself as she went back to look out at the crowd.

She saw Uncle T sitting comfortably in the front row with a young girl sitting next to him. She looked like a much younger version of Lucy. She remembered Lucy mentioning that she had a younger sister. The poor girl did not look comfortable as she sat next to her father. Tabitha ignored them and continued scanning the crowd. She saw the murderess, Pinkamena, sitting in the higher seats with Lucy at her side. Tabitha growled at the sight of her. She wanted to avenge Amanda's death. She immediately shook away the thought, knowing she didn't stand a chance against a maniac.

Tabitha felt a soft tap on her shoulder. She turned to face Rabbit who seemed to be holding something behind her back. She looked like she was about to burst with excitement.

"Five m-m-minutes to showtime, Miz Tabitha. I-I-I have something for ya," Rabbit said as she revealed what was behind her back. It was a top hat that was very similar to her own.

"I noticed something was off-off with your outfit, so I f-f-found my old hat. Now you'll be-be complete," she said while handing it to Tabitha. Tabitha briefly inspected it before placing it on her head. Rabbit smiled at the sight, her hands flying to her mouth a oily tears welled up in her optics. Tabitha couldn't help but smile back.

"Oh, Miz Tabitha! Ya look amazing!" Rabbit cooed as she pulled Tabitha into a hug. Tabitha hugged her back, her fear immediately disappearing for now. Rabbit giggled and pressed her forehead against Tabitha's, gazing longingly into her eye.

"When this is a-a-all over and your….meeting with Uncle T-T is over, we can-"

"Hey, you two! Keep your romantic business in the bedroom! It's showtime!" The Spine called out, interrupting the two from their moment. They reluctantly pulled away from each other and went to their positions. 

"I'll catch ya l-l-later, baby," Rabbit purred.

 

 

Pinkamena and Lucy waited patiently at the top balcony. They could see the entered crowd below them. Pinkamena saw Uncle T sitting with little Nyuu at his side. She growled at the sight of him. He would pay.

"Hold back your fury, Pinkie. There's time for that later," Lucy said calmly. Pinkamena sighed deeply and waited for the show to start. 

Everything suddenly went dark. The crowd grew quiet.

"It's showtime," Lucy crowed.

A spotlight shone down on a single figure. It was Miss Rabbit. She appeared calm and serene as she looked out at the crowd.

" _Once there w-w-was a small dream. No one really knew who-who had dreamt it_ ," she said as if telling a story.

She disappeared as the spotlight turned off. Another spotlight appeared on another. It was The Spine.

" _Such a tiny dream it was.The little dream thought and thought_ ," he continued the story in his marvelously deep voice, making Lucy blush and Pinkamena smile.

He disappeared with the spotlight as well. The spotlight came back and Hatchworth was in it place.

" _I don't want to disappear like this. No! How can I make people dream of me_?" He said calmly before disappearing.

The spotlight shone down on the final figure. It was Tabitha. Pinkamena leaned forward to get a better view. Tabitha was silent for a moment as she stared at the crowd. She appeared frightened.

" _I will make humans dream of me, and they shall create my world_ ," she said ominously. Music began to play as Tabitha disappeared from the vanishing spotlight. 

"What's your plan?" Lucy whispered to Pinkamena oncne the music really started and the robots were singing. Pinkamena was silent for a moment as she tried to think. She watched Tabitha who was singing along. She was doing a decent job.

"I'm gonna try and face Miss Tabitha once Uncle T takes her in. I'll explain what's going on later," Pinkamena replied loudly over the music and singing.

Lucy only nodded and continued to watch the show. Pinkamena noticed her rare smile as she watched the robots preform. Lucy hardly showed her happiness. Pinkamena looked back to the stage as the next song started. She noticed Tabitha sitting to the side. She seemed to be in awe at the talent before her. Who wouldn't be?  
Pinkamena continued to stare at Tabitha until her gaze met hers. Tabitha glared at her. If looks could kill, then Pinkamena would drop dead. She understood the girl's anger toward her.

A few song passed before Tabitha stood up and entered the spotlight.

"M-M-Miz Tabitha has a special song for us-us, folks!" Rabbit announced while throwing an arm around Tabitha's shoulders. Tabitha smiled at the act and whispered something into Rabbit's ear. The automaton beamed as she looked out at the crowd.

"Ya ready, folks? This song is-is for our very own Uncle T!" Rabbit crowed. The crowd was silent.

"Of course ya'll are! Take it-it-it away, Miz Tabitha!" Rabbit continued energetically while starting a tune on her accordion.

Pinkamena gasped softly when she heard the song. She saw Lucy was surprised as well. Tabitha was purposely calling out Uncle T on his evils. The crowd seemed to enjoy every second of it.

Pinkamena looked down at Uncle T and saw an evil smirk growing on his face. She knew what he was thinking and it was horrible.

"The poor thing's gonna be punished for this," Lucy muttered once the song ended. Pinkamena nodded gravely. he really did feel bad for Tabitha.

As the show finally ended and the crowd got up to leave, Pinkamena noticed Uncle T heading down to the band.

"This can't end well," she whispered.

 

 

"Another great show, everyone!" The Spine announced. Everyone else simply nodded their approval or gave quiet cheers. Tabitha watched in silently as everyone got their equipment together until Rabbit approached her,

"Ya d-d-did a fantastic for your f-first show, Miz Tabitha," she said while embracing her. Tabitha finally smiled as she hugged her back. She noticed everyone else watching with big smiles. 

"Ah, Rabbit. They're staring," Tabitha whispered. She noticed GG making kissing motions with her hooves.

"Let them watch," Rabbit purred while pulling her into a kiss. Tabitha happily returned the favor with a soft giggle.

Rabbit suddenly pulled away from Tabitha and gasped. She stared at something behind Tabitha. Everyone else became silent. Lil Steve scurried over to Big Steve who tucked him away into his belt. GG ran off into one of the many back rooms while the robots and humans stared angrily. Rabbit's optics narrowed into blue and green slits as she growled.

"Am I interrupting something?" A familiar voice asked. Tabitha knew it was time. She felt tears well up as she turned around to face Uncle T. He smiled as he kicked a round of applause.

"Congrats, everyone. You all did well. Especially you, dear Tabitha. I really liked that song that was meant for me. I really appreciate your…generosity," he said sarcastically and continued, "Well, I didn't come back here to congratulate you all. I'm here on business. You look well healed, Miss Tabitha. Shall we have another fun-filled session?"

Uncle T held out his hand for Tabitha to take. She knew this would send her into a world of pain and horror.

"Can I have a moment with my friends, please?" She asked. Uncle T rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I'll give you a few minutes," he muttered. Tabitha smiled grimly and went back to her friends. She was given tight hugs and words of encouragement.

"You'll be okay, dear," Hatchworth said.

"Don't give in to your fear, Miss Tabitha. Think about us," The Spine grumbled.

"Please be safe, Miss Tabitha. Lil Steve seems to have a crush on you," Steve smirked.

"I DO NOT!" Lil Steve shrieked, making Tabitha giggle.

Tabitha turned to Rabbit who was holding back her distress. She shifted her faceplates into a sad smile as he pulled her into a hug.

"You c-c-come back to me when it's o-o-over, baby. I'll be-be-be waiting for ya," Rabbit whispered in her ear. Tabitha felt a sharp tap on her shoulder. She pulled away from Rabbit and turned back to Uncle T.

"Shall we?" He asked while holding out his hand.

Tabitha sighed and placed her hand in his. It was unnaturally hot to the touch. She took one more look back at her friends as Uncle T led her away. The Spine held Rabbit as she cried into his chest while Hatchworth pat her back, offering calming words. And with that, they were gone.

Uncle T led Tabitha to a doorway that led down a darkened flight of stairs. Tabitha remembered this place, but remained silent. This was where she went to find Amanda. Her instincts were telling her to run away, but her common sense kept her in place. There was nothing she could do now except to follow the monster.

"You and Miss Rabbit seems to have something going on," Uncle T commented. Tabitha refused to talk.

"You poor thing. Falling in love with a being that's not even alive. You really need to rethink your life choices. Miss Rabbit's a robot. How can you even be remotely attracted to that? I bet it's gonna hurt when you two make love," he teased. Tabitha felt herself blush. Uncle T noticed her blush and burst into laughter.

"You fucked Miss Rabbit?! You actually hit that hunk of metal? You must be really desperate if you want to fuck a robot. Oh, this is fantastic," he crowed.  
Tabitha refused to talk despite her growing anger.

They eventually found themselves in the familiar underground torture chamber. Tabitha shuddered at the familiar stench of blood. The sound of classical music was heavy in the air, putting Tabitha on edge as she saw the operating table. Her fear was taking over.

"Shall we begin?" Uncle T purred while pushing her forward. Tabitha sighed softly as she crawled onto he table. The straps automatically wrapped around her arms, legs, and waist . She breathed deeply, trying to calm down despite her rapid heartbeat.

"Now, what shall I do with you, darling?" Uncle T asked. He searched through different cabinets and drawers while humming a tune. Tabitha closed her eye and tried to ignore the horrors around her. She thought about Rabbit and what happened yesterday.

"Ah! Here we go! I know exactly what I'll do with you," Uncle T hissed.

Tabitha opened her eye and saw Uncle T standing before her with a very large pair of scissors in one hand and a ball gag in the other.

"Wh-What are you going to do?" She asked.

Uncle T only smiled as he got dangerously close to her with the scissors.

"This is gonna hurt a lot, darling," he said while strapping the ball gag to her mouth. Before Tabitha could protest, Uncle T began cutting off her fingers. Her muffled screams where drowned out by the music as she felt every finger being cut off. The cold metal bit into her fingers, blinding her in agony. Tabitha closed her eye shut and tried to block out the pain.

_NO! NO! NO!_

_PLEASE STOP!_

_RABBIT_!

Uncle T moved on to her next hand. Tabitha didn't dare open her eye to look at the damage. She wanted to think about her friends but the pain refused to let her concentrate. This was just like her nightmare but this time there was no escape from the the terror before her.

"Calm down, darling. This won't take much longer. You'll like the results," Uncle T crooned.

_LIKE HELL I WILL!_

Tabitha felt sick to her stomach as he finished cutting off her fingers. She couldn't feel her hands. She felt faint. She opened her eye and groaned at the sight of her hands. What was left of her fingers were bloody, messy stubs that ended at her knuckles. She gagged at the sight and all went dark.

 

"Wake up, darling. I'm finished," the voice of Uncle T cooed softly.

Tabitha was unresponsive until she felt a stabbing pain in her shoulder, making her wake up with an anguished cry. A single lamp illuminated the form of Uncle T. Tabitha's head was pounding and her hands were numb. The ball gag was also gone, letting her breathe in the stale air. She coughed and felt blood run down her chin.

"I have a surprise for you, darling," Uncle T chuckled.

"What did you do to me?" Tabitha hissed.

"Find out for yourself," Uncle T said. A light came on and Tabitha screamed at whats he saw. Her bloody fingers ended in long, black, needle-like claws. They were perfectly fused to her hands, starting at the knuckles. She twitched a claw and saw that it moved without trouble. How was this abomination possible? 

"DAMN YOU!" She cried out. Uncle T only laughed at her horror. 

"Watch your language, darling. Do you want me to cut your tongue out?" He asked while grabbing a smaller pair of scissors. Tabitha held her tongue and looked at the abomination before her. Why did he do this to her?

"Why?" She demanded.

"I was bored with regular torture, darling. I wanted to try something different. That's not all I did, darling. Have you noticed anything else?" He asked with a sly grin.

Tabitha growled and tried to rub her throbbing head, flinching when her claws scratched her face. She didn't feel any different besides the pain in her head and her shoulder. Uncle T chuckled and went forward to rip off the bindings from around her left eye. Tabitha gasped when she saw that she could see perfectly. She rubbed her palm against her once wounded eye and felt it. Another impossibility.

"Y-You returned m-m-my eye?" She stammered.

"Not really. I still have that in my office. I gave you a new one. Take a look," he replied while handing her a handheld mirror. Tabitha let out a cry at the sight of her new eye. It was pitch black. It looked horrible. She dropped the mirror, shattering it.

"You…YOU BASTARD!" Tabitha screamed as she lashed out at him with her newfound weapons. She raked her claws across his chest, making him cry out in pain. Yellow blood oozed out from his wounds. Uncle T's cried of pain turned to maniacal laughter as he straightened up. 

"What?!"

"You're only hurting yourself, darling. Now you'll pay," Uncle T hissed. He touched his wound with a claw and caught a drop of his yellow blood on it. He flicked it at Tabitha's face. It caught on her cheek. Tabitha screamed as she felt the drop of blood eat at her flesh, burning her. It was acid. Uncle T's blood was acid.

"Make it stop!" Tabitha screamed. She tried wiping it away, but it only spread to her palm. Uncle T only laughed at her before grabbing a bucket and splashed ice cold water on her. The burning pain went away. She still felt its sting as she trembled before the monster.

"And that's why no one dares harm me, darling. You'll only hurt yourself. Now, you run along now. It's almost dawn," he said while walking out of the room.

Tabitha huddled underneath he operating table. She wanted the pain to go away, but it refused to leave. She looked at her claws. They were each nearly a foot long. She was an abomination. She rubbed at her new eye, not caring if she scratched her face. She could feel blood dripping out. How was she able to see with a new eye and use her new fingers. It was a mystery and it only made her head ache more.

"I…I have to go home," she muttered to herself. She tried to stand up, but only stumbling, scratching her palms in the process. She had to get back to Walter Manor. She had to get back to Rabbit. She coughed again, tasting blood. Not good.

The door opened and Tabitha looked up to find Pinkamena standing over her. The murderess looked down at her in pity.

"What do…you want?" Tabitha grumbled.

"I want to help you, Miss Tabitha. I thought about what you told me and realized that I've been wrong about everything I've done. What do you say?" Pinkamena said while holding out a hand to help her up. Tabitha only laughed coldly in response. This was obviously some kind of trap.

"Liar!" Tabitha shrieked while lashing out at her with her claws. She managed to scratch her shoulder, making the girl scream. She waited for Pinkamena to react violently and hurt her, but she was surprised to see her in pain. She actually looked frightened as she stared at her claws.

"Aren't you going to hurt me? Are you gonna kill me like you killed Amanda?" Tabitha asked softly.

"I…I don't want to hurt you, Miss Tabitha. Like I said before, I only want to help. I want to make Uncle T suffer as well. He's done horrifying things to you. He will pay," Pinkamena muttered.

"How do I know that I can trust you? My sister is dead because of you," Tabitha growled. 

"I"m so sorry, Miss Tabitha. I was under Uncle T's influence. I really do regret it," Pinkamena replied.

Tabitha stared at her suspiciously. Could she trust Pinkamena, the second most hated member of the circus? Maybe. She smiled grimly and removed her top hat to fully reveal herself to Pinkamena. The pink-skinned girl gasped at the sight.

"I…I trust you, Pinkamena," she said while putting the top hat back on. She wouldn't forgive her for killing her sister. 

"You can call me Pinkie," Pinkie replied with a friendly smile. She held out her hand to help her up. Tabitha was reluctant due to her claws until Pinkie grabbed her hand and pulled her up, scratching herself in the process.

"Let's go," Tabitha said while making her way for the door. She was going back to her safe haven. She was going back to Rabbit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems that Miss Tabitha might be slipping away from her cowardly nature :D  
> What do ya'll think of the story so far?


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha finally makes it back to Walter Manor and finds time to relax for a bit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Some naughtiness and fluff in this chapter

Tabitha huffed impatiently as she looked up at the multitude of stairs before her. They seemed to be taking forever and she was exhausted and starving. Pinkie followed close behind her, muttering to herself about gruesome topics aimed at Uncle T.

"You're a really good singer, Miss Tabutha," Pinkie spoke up after a few minutes of silence.

"Thanks. I got help from the best," Tabitha replied with a smile. She recalled the many hours of practice with the robots.

 

_"How high of a pitch can you reach, Miss Tabitha?" The Spine asked curiously._

_Tabitha was having a private lesson with The Spine on vocals. Tabitha thought for a moment before demonstrating her voice. The titanium automaton only nodded in response. The heads of 3 and 4 poked out of his breast-pocket at the sudden disturbance. They clicked unhappily, gaining a chuckle from The Spine._

_"That's a lovely pitch, Miss Tabitha. Can you go higher?" He asked._

_"That's as high as I can go," Tabitha replied._

_"Are you sure? If I can reach high pitches then you can as well," The Spine said with a smile._

_Tabitha giggled, making the automaton cock his head in confusion. There was no way he could reach any high pitched tune with such a deep voice._

_"What's so funny?"_

_"I'm sorry, but I just can't see you reaching high pitches," Tabitha said with another suppressed giggle. The Spine smirked at her statement._

_"Oh really?" He asked humorously._

_Before Tabitha could respond, The Spine burst into a high pitched note. Tabitha gasped at the sound. All signs of his usual deep voice were gone. The windows began to crack and rattle at the intensity of the high note. 3 and 4 scrambled out of his breast-pocket and ran out of the room. The Spine held the note for a full two minutes before a nearby door opened and Rabbit stuck her head in._

_"Ya b-b-broke mah mirror, ya dummins! Ya better buy me-me-me a new one!" Rabbit shrieked. The Spine gradually lowered the note until he stopped. Tabitha was amazed._

_"Now, shall we practice?" The Spine asked._

 

Tabitha found herself in the circus arena. It was completely empty and quiet except for the pouring rain outside.

"I'll see you later, Miss Tabitha. I have to go talk with Lucy," Pinkie said while walking off, leaving Tabitha alone.

Tabitha gripped her bleeding shoulder as it began irritating her again. She walked out into the pouring rain, not caring if she got wet. It was still dark out. The lights of the circus led the way. There were some attendants from the show walking around, but she ignored them. Her head hung low, the brim of her top hat obscured her face. She wanted to hurry back to Walter Manor, but the throbbing pain reduced her to a slow pace.

"I…I have to go home," she muttered silently to herself.

Tabitha felt hot blood mixed with rain water and makeup pour down her face. Her eyes stung from the runny makeup, making her tear up a bit. She was a terrible sight to behold. She squeezed her wounded shoulder, feeling the blood ooze between her claws.

"Yo! Watch where you're going, girl!" An angry voice called from in front of her. Tabitha glared at the man before her, making him gasp.

"Don't hurt me!" The man cried out as he ran off. Tabitha only smirked grimly and continued on her way.

Tabitha could feel her strength starting to fade. She looked up at the sky, letting the rain cleanse her. It felt nice. She trudged along until she saw the familiar building that was Walter Manor.

Tabitha sighed in relief and walked toward the entrance. The doorless doorway was wide open for her, a sign of safety and warmth. 

Tabitha rushed into the dry manor and sighed in relief. She had to find Fluttershy again and get her wounds treated once more. She turned and found the staircase and groaned when she remembered how many stairs she had to take. 

Before she could take another step, she heard heavy footsteps approaching. She froze when she heard a familiar mechanical gasp and she instinctively lowered her top hat so that it covered most of her face.

"Oh, Miss Tabitha! You look terrible!" The deep voice of The Spine cried out. Tabitha refused to look directly at him. She didn't want to show her friend what ha happened to her yet.

"I'm…I'm fine," she muttered. She could hear him hiss softly.

"No, you're not fine, Miss Tabitha. Your shoulder is bleeding. Let me have a look at-"

"No!" Tabitha screamed while holding out her free hand to defend herself. Big mistake. Tabitha looked up and saw the horror on The Spine's faceplates. Tabitha lowered her clawed hand and tried to hide it within the sleeve of her dress.

"I'm sorry," Tabitha mumbled. She could feel a new wave of tears threatening to pour out.

"What did that monster do to you, Tabitha?" The Spine finally asked. Tabitha sighed and removed her hat. She stared at his emerald optics as they widened in shock.

"Hey, The Spine! Is Tabitha b-b-back yet?" The voice of Rabbit called out from one of the many corridors.

"Ah, You should come here, Rabbit. She's not doing so well," The Spine replied.

"Tabitha!" Rabbit cried out. Tabitha could hear the floor shake from Rabbit's footsteps sprinting toward her. She turned and saw Rabbit come into view and stop suddenly at the sight of her. Rabbit stared in horror at her condition.

"Hi, Rabbit," Tabitha tried to smile. She coughed violently and tasted blood.

Rabbit remained silent as she approached Tabitha. Her faceplates shifted into heartbreak as she lightly touched Tabitha's cheek.

"We need to get her to the infirmary, Rabbit," The Spine suggested.

Rabbit didn't utter a word as she stared at Tabitha. She started tearing up, her bottom lip trembling.

"Rabbit, I'm…fine. I'm alive," Tabitha tried to comfort her. She reached out to touch Rabbit's face and stopped, pulling her clawed hand back. She didn't want to hurt her.

"Uncle T did this to-to-to ya?" Rabbit whispered. Tabitha only nodded gravely. Steam poured out of Rabbit's cheek vents as she growled and hissed angrily while her optics turned into blue and green slits.

"Calm down, Rabbit! I'm alive! That's all that matters now!" Tabitha cried out while hugging Rabbit. She was careful with her claws as she wrapped her arms around her. She could hear Rabbit's soft whimpers as she hugged her back. She didn't want to let go.

"I-I-I was so scared you wouldn't c-c-come back, Tabitha," Rabbit muttered. 

"You told me to come back and that's exactly what I did," Tabitha smiled. She glanced over at The Spine who appeared unamused at the corniness of their conversation. 

"I"m glad ya d-d-did, baby," Rabbit purred.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, ladies, but Tabitha really needs to get to the infirmary," The Spine grumbled.

"We'll talk later, Tabitha," Rabbit said while giving her a gently squeeze. Tabitha groaned slightly as she felt her shoulder become irritated again. Rabbit stared in concern before rushing off down one of the corridors.

"Rabbit's really been out of it. All she did was stand at the entrance waiting for you. I had to convince her to calm down and relax for a bit. The poor girl really loves you," The Spine commented as they made their way up the winding staircase.

"I know," Tabitha replied. She suddenly grasped the railing as a wave of pain and nausea coursed through her. Her claws dug into the wood, leaving bloody marks.

"Are you okay, Tabitha?" The Spine asked.

Tabitha tried to straighten up, but only fell to her knees.

"I've…had a long night. I…I can get up these stairs, The Spine. I just need a moment to rest," Tabitha muttered. She could feel her strength fading. She just wanted to go to sleep. She rubbed at her eyes, flinching slightly as she scratched herself in the process.

"You're only making it worse, Tabitha. I can carry you," The Spine said while placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm…I'm fine, Spine. I…I can do this," Tabitha whispered. She cursed silently to herself as she gripped her shoulder as it began throbbing once more. She was too weak to continue. She was unresponsive when The Spine picked her up bridal style.

"You really shouldn't do this to yourself, Tabitha. I have no problem with carrying you," he said calmly and continued on his way up. Tabitha felt her vision fading. She was so tired. The familiar hum and sounds of her friend were soothing. So soothing…

 

"Good morning, The Spine. What bring you here-Oh my goodness! Tabitha looks horrible! Oh dear! Her hands! What happened?" A familiar soft voice cried out.

Tabitha's eyes fluttered open as she was placed on a soft bed. She was back once again in the infirmary. Her gaze fell on Fluttershy, who gasped at the sight of her.

"Oh dear! What did Uncle T do to you?" Fluttershy asked after composing herself.

"Yes, what did that monster do to you?" The Spine asked.

Tabitha opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a fit of coughing. Her hand flew to her mouth, catching the blood that dripped out from her mouth.

"Oh! Do you need water, Miss Tabitha?" Fluttershy asked while going up to get a glass of water.

"Water would be nice," Tabitha croaked. She flinched when The Spine touched her clawed hand. He seemed to be analyzing it.

"Strange. These claws are perfectly fused to your bone structure. I see no stitch work of any kind at the base. Can they function at your will?" He asked.

Tabitha nodded and flexed her claws. Fluttershy returned with a glass of water, staring grimly at Tabitha's claws. Tabitha took it and quickly drained it, savoring the coolness. She could see the automaton and the winged girl watching her every action closely.

"Why did Uncle T do this to you, Tabitha?" The Spine finally asked. Tabitha frowned as she remembered what Uncle T told her.

"He said he was…bored with torture and wanted to experiment. I'm his guinea pig,"Tabitha muttered sadly. She rubbed at her new eye as it began bleeding again.

"Can you see clearly?" Fluttershy asked. She stood up and went to look for medical tools and supplies.

"I…I can see, but I look like a monster," Tabitha replied glumly. There was a strained silence between the three of them.

"You're nothing like that, Tabitha. It's all Uncle T's fault," The Spine said while gently patting her shoulder. Tabitha smiled at that.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so negative," Tabitha said softly while wiping away a tear. A new wave of pain coursed through her, making her groan in agony. Fluttershy was by her sid win an instant.

"Your shoulder doesn't look good, Miss Tabitha. Um, can you take your dress off, please?" She asked politely. 

"I'll go now, ladies. I can send Rabbit up here if you want, Miss Tabitha," The Spine said as he got up to leave.

"That would great. See you later, The Spine," Tabitha replied weakly. He smiled charmingly and left the room.

Tabitha proceeded to slowly and painfully remove her bloody dress with the help of Fluttershy. She removed her hat and placed it next to her clothes.  
The winged girl gasped at the sight of Tabitha's stab wound.

"How bad is it?" Tabitha asked.

"It looks pretty deep. Does it hurt when you raise your arm?" Fluttershy replied.

Tabitha teste fit out and winced at the action. She quickly brought it back down.

"Hmm. I have a special medicine somewhere that will heal that wound right up. I use it for bad injuries like yours," Fluttershy said while looking around in a cabinet. She muttered to herself as she looked around it tirelessly. After a few minutes, she huffed impatiently. The white rabbit, Angel, hopped out from a bookshelf and nudged Fluttershy's side. The winged girl smiled and knelt down in front of the rabbit.

"Can you find the special healing medicine, Angel bunny?" She asked sweetly. Angel hopped over to Tabitha's side and checked out her wound. He gasped and ran off ingot he cabinet.

"Aww. Angel likes you," Fluttershy cooed. Tabitha only smiled weakly.

As they waited, Tabitha notice Fluttershy's gaze on her pale skin. She seemed to be inspecting her.

"Wh-What are you looking at, Fluttershy?" She asked.

"Your scars are almost entirely healed. I just noticed these…bruises and other strange embarks on your arms, chest, stomach and the…lower regions around your waist. Where did those come from?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

Tabitha blushed as she remembered what had happened the previous morning. Sh knew damn well where the bruises and marks came from.

"That….is none of your business, Fluttershy," she muttered. The winged girl took a moment to register the thought and then blushed a deep pink.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry for asking, Miss Tabitha. I thought those marks looked familiar. Miss Regan sometimes comes up here with marks similar to yours. She's The Spine's lady love, you know. It was very awkward when I first asked her about it. The poor thing is tiny compared to The Spine, but she tells me he's very gentle. Oh! I'm telling you too much about Miss Regan. So, I'm guessing it was Rabbit who did this to you," Fluttershy rambled.

"Can we not talk about this?" Tabitha asked. Her blush was only getting deeper, making her feel hot and uncomfortable. Fluttershy nodded and held her tongue.  
Angel bunny trilled from within the cabinet. Fluttershy smiled and returned to dig through it, searching for her rabbit and the medicine. A moment passed and Fluttershy returned with Angel in her arms. The rabbit held a glass vial filled with a blue liquid in his paws.

"This will help you, Miss Tabitha. Just pour it on your wound and it'll heal immediately. I should warn you, it will sting a lot," Fluttershy said while handing her the medicine.

Tabitha inspected the strange medicine. She opened it up and smelled it. It smelled like alcohol mixed with something that was unknown to her. She closed her eyes and poured it on her wound. She gasped as the medicine immediately took effect. It felt like the skin surrounding her wound was crawling around it, covering it. She shut her eyes and bit her tongue to stop herself form crying out. She felt Fluttershy pat her shoulder in sympathy.

"It's okay, Miss Tabitha. Just hold on for a few more seconds," Fluttershy said in a soothing voice.

The sharp pain soon vanished without a trace. Tabitha opened her eyes and looked at her wound. There was nothing there except for the bloody mess the wound left behind. Tabitha raised her arm and only felt a dull throb.

"Thank you, Fluttershy. It's only a bit sore now," Tabitha smiled. Fluttershy beamed back at her and proceeded to wipe away the blood from her shoulder.

"You have a few new scars on your face, but they're not that bad. I can easily patch them up. Where did those come from?" Fluttershy asked while grabbing some bandages and medicine.

"My claws," Tabitha replied.

Fluttershy glanced at them fearfully as she applied medicine and bandages to Tabitha's face. Once she was done, she offered pain pills to her, which Tabitha gladly took.

"Strange. I've never seen anything like this. Do you think I can have a small sample?" Flutterhsy asked curiously as she looked at Tabitha's claws more closely.

"Sure," Tabitha said while holding one claw out. Fluttershy grabbed nail clippers from a cabinet and carefully held her claw. She attempted to make a fragment fall off, but nothing happened.

"Odd. It didn't leave any marks nor will it break. This is very new to me," Fluttershy mused after a few minutes.

There was a sudden loud knock at the door, followed by a loud hiss.

"Hey, Flutters! Is Miz Tabitha in-in-in there with ya?" The voice of Rabbit called out.

"She's here, Miss Rabbit. Come on in," Fluttershy replied. Tabitha grabbed her dress and put it back on as Rabbit came in. Rabbit's faceplates shifted from worry to relief at the sight of Tabitha.

"How's mah g-g-girl doing?" Rabbit asked while sitting next to Tabitha.

"Oh, she's doing much better, Miss Rabbit. She's a bit scratched up and tired, but she'll be fine," Fluttershy chimed.

Tabitha felt Rabbit's gaze on her as Fluttershy continued to ramble on about medical stuff and her overall health. She looked back into her blue and green optics and saw the longing and worry within them. She couldn't help but blush as Rabbit's gaze intensified with a mischievous smirk.

"What are you two doing?" Fluttershy said as she finally noticed the couple's staring match. Rabbit chuckled and turned back to the confused Fluttershy.

"We're j-j-just appreciatin' each other's p-p-presence, Flutters. Can Tabitha walk? I want to-to get her in bed," Rabbit said. Tabitha giggled softly when she saw Fluttershy blush a deep pink.

"Oh! She-She can walk. B-B-But she should wait before…doing any…sexual activities. She's still v-v-very weak from her wounds," Fluttershy stammered.

"I didn't mean it-it-it that way, Flutters. Miz Tabitha needs her rest," Rabbit explained. Fluttershy nodded and turned to clean some tools. Rabbit looked to Tabitha and winked, making her grin like an idiot.

"You two can go now. I need some sleep," Fluttershy said with a yawn.

Tabitha carefully grabbed her hat and was at Rabbit's side. She smiled when she felt Rabbit's arm snake across her shoulders and pull her close as they walked out of the infirmary.

"Feeling better, baby?" Rabbit asked.

"I am now," Tabitha replied. She wanted to wrap her arms around Rabbit but feared scratching her. She resorted to just gently leaning into the automaton's side. Rabbit hummed softly to herself as they made their way to the Hall of Faces.

Tabitha's smile soon faded as she thought about her future. The torture would never end and she would repeat this process until she was finally killed. It made her feel sick as she thought about it. She wanted to hurt Uncle T for his crimes, but with him having acid for blood, it was impossible to hurt him without getting horribly burned in the process. She looked down at her claws and frowned. He would suffer for turning her into an abomination. She clenched her fist, feeling her claws prick her palm.

"Bastard," she muttered to herself as they walked into the Hall of Faces.

"Something wrong?" Rabbit asked, noticing Tabitha's fury. 

"That monster ruined me. He turned me into a freak," Tabitha muttered as she went to get into her pajamas. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes which she quickly wiped away. She could hear Rabbit hiss softly from across the room. 

It was true. He was slowly turning her into a monster and she hated it. She didn't know how much more she could take until she finally died. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want to endure anymore. It made her head hurt just thinking about it.

Tabitha let out a cry of surprise when Rabbit hugged her tightly, burying her face in her hair.

"Don't say th-that about ya self, Tabitha. You're still p-p-p-perfect and gorgeous in my eyes. You are no-no-no freak," Rabbit said sadly.

Tabitha shuddered with silent sobs as she turned around to face Rabbit. She rested her head against her chest, letting it's warmth soothe her. She was done with the pain. She just wanted it to end.

Tabitha pulled away from the hug and looked up longingly at Rabbit before walking over to the bed. It's softness was comforting as she laid down. Rabbit joined her, pulling her close to her chassis. Tabitha wanted to touch her, but knew that wasn't an option. She didn't want to hurt her.

"Ya know, I can help ya f-f-forget your troubles for a-a-a while, baby," Rabbit whispered in her ear after a few minutes of silence.

"And how are you going to do that?" Tabitha asked with a small smirk.

Tabitha sucked in her breath when she felt a cool hand gently snake under her night dress. Tabitha wasn't sure about this due to her claws. All those thoughts were washed away as Rabbit playfully nibbled at her neck. She was a robot. She could easily get small scratches repaired. 

"Do ya wanna know what I-I-I love about ya, baby?" Rabbit asked as she pulled away from her neck.

"What is it?" Tabitha asked back.

"You're so strong and-and-and so soft," Rabbit purred while gently stroking her face.

 

"You guys are slowpokes! Come on!" Lil Steve yelled at the twins. The yarn doll waited impatiently for the little stitch-punks in front of the open air vent. He had promised The Spine he would take the two exploring whenever he needed alone time since they were known to stay in the presence of their titanium guardian most times.

The twins eventually came into view. They clicked curiously and ran up to Lil Steve. He felt a sense of pride at the fact that he had friends who were shorter than him.  
They clicked even more, their eyes flashing nonstop. Only Lil Steve and the automatons understood there language.

" _Where are we going, Lil Steve?_ " 3 asked.

" _Yes, what are we doing_?" 4 asked as well.

"We're gonna explore the vent system. It's gonna be so much fun," Lil Steve explained. The twins only clicked in approval.

" _Let's go_!" They clicked in unison. Lil Steve chuckled and opened the vent. The twins clambered up and intuit he vent with ease. They looked over the edge and waved at Lil Steve. He waved back and jumped up until he was hanging unceremoniously over the edge.

"A little help?" He asked. The twins quickly pulled him up.

"Thanks," he mumbled while brushing off dust.

The twins clicked happily in response and ran ahead of him. He could tell they were having a sensory overload in the new environment. They clicked nonstop. Their optics were like strobe lights in the dark.

" _Where do we go?_ " 3 asked.

Lil Steve ws silent for a moment. Where could he take them? He looked around at three different directions before him. He knew the left side led to a dead end, but there were vent openings that they could look out at. The middle led to a drop off to another vent system. The right side led to another vent system as well. He knew the middle vent's drop off had a tiny ladder he had installed months earlier. The twins would really enjoy that.

"Let's go to the middle," he suggested. The twins clicked and clapped their hands before running that way.

"Hey! Don't run! There's a drop off ahead! Ya gotta be careful!" Lil Steve yelled. He could see their flashing optics ahead. They were at the drop off.

" _What is this, Lil Steve_?" 3 asked curiously. 4 hid behind their sibling and looked down at the dark drop off.

"There's a ladder here. We can go down and continue exploring," Lil Steve replied while pouting to where the ladder was located. The twins found it and where quickly making their way down. Lil Steve followed close behind.

The twins were waiting patiently for him at the bottom of the ladder. They clicked optimistically and ran off to look out the nearest vent. Lil Steve joined them and looked out A bathroom.

"Hmm. Not much to see here. Let's keep moving, you two," Lil Steve said. The twins continued to run ahead and stopped int heir tracks. Lil Steve caught up to them.

"You two need to slow down. I need to take a breather," he panted.

" _Do you hear tha_ t?" 3 asked.

"Hear what?" Lil Steve asked back.

The twins looked at each other with huge smiles on their faces. They suddenly ran off into the darkness, their optics flashing. Lil Steve sighed and followed close behind.

"Where are you two going?" He asked.

3 turned to him and held a finger to their lips. Lil Steve nodded and grew quiet.

A few minutes passed and he heard it. He secretly wished he didn't come across this area. He rushed in front of the twins and stopped them.

"You two wait here. I'll investigate further to see what's going on," he said while going ahead. 3 and 4 proceeded in flashing and clicking to each other.

The closer Lil Steve got, the louder the noises grew. Why did he think about coming down here? He finally found the air vent where the noises were coming from and listened. 

"I-I-I have something new for ya, baby," the voice of Rabbit purred.

"What's that?" The soft voice of Miss Captain Lady Tabitha replied.

There was a brief silence before a surprised cry filled the air.

"What the hell is that?!" Miss Captain Lady Tabitha exclaimed, gaining a snicker from Rabbit.

"Don't pretend that ya d-d-don't know what a strap-on is-is-is, baby. You'll like what c-c-comes next. Ya ready?" Rabbit crooned.

There was a short pause before a soft moan replaced the silence.

"Make me forget," Miss Captain Lady Tabitha sighed.

Lil Steve peeked out at the scene and immediately looked away. What had been seen could not be unseen.

"Dang. I'll need to bleach my eyes," he whispered to himself.

The twins were suddenly behind him, watching the scene curiously with wide eyes. They didn't seem disturbed by what was going on before them. Lil Steve suddenly realized what they were doing. They were voyeurs.

"We have to go, guys. You've seen too much. The ladies need their privacy," Lil Steve whispered.

" _Why?_ " The twins asked in unison.

"Why? Because it's not right to watch people do the business!" Lil Steve hissed softly.

" _What do you mean? It's fascinating. We watch Pappy Spine make the business with Lady Regan_ ," 3 said with a smile. 4 clicked and sighed as if remembering the scene.

"That's not right! Does The Spine know?" Lil Steve asked in concern.

The twins shook their heads. Negative. 

"We have to go now!" Lil Steve whispered while dragging the twins away. He always thought they were innocent little dolls like himself, but that was not true. They were old. Older than him, but they acted like curious children. Maybe that was why The Spine liked them so much and took them in as his own children.

Lil Steve sighed as he led the twins away. They soon found themselves in the Hall of Wires. Lil Steve saw Miss Regan sleeping in The Spine's bed. The Spine's snakelike form was curled around her protectively. He watched over her as she slept peacefully. His chassis sat in an armchair next tot he bed. The twins clicked happily and ran forward. Lil Steve stayed where he was, his arms crossed unhappily.

" _Pappy Spine_!" They clicked in unison. 

The Spine turned toward the source of the noise and smiled at the sight of the twins. He carefully uncurled himself from around his lady love and slithered down onto the floor in front of them.

"Back so soon?" He whispered. The twins nodded and hopped on his vertebrae, making the automaton chuckle softly. His gaze fell on Lil Steve. Lil Steve sighed unhappily when he saw the questioning look on his faceplates.

"We came across things we were not supposed to see. It wasn't good. Well, the twins weren't really affected by it. I had to drag them away," Lil Steve muttered. 

"What did you see?" The Spine asked.

"Ahh, Rabbit and Miss Captain Lady Tabitha," Lil Steve said.

The Spine looked down in confusion before a look of shock formed on his faceplates. He looked down at the twins who were now sliding along his vertebrae. They stopped when they saw his now serious expression.

"Is this true?" He grumbled in a voice like thunder. Their clicking stopped and they huddled in fear at the sight of their angry guardian.

"I guess I'll be going now," Lil Steve said while heading back to the vent opening. He looked back and saw the automaton slithering into his chassis. The twins at silently on the floor, hugging each other in fear as The Spine rose to his full height. Lil Steve decided it was best to leave the little family alone and disappeared into the vent system.

 

She was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And fragile. Incredibly fragile. She only wanted to keep her safe an dove her forever. But that wasn't possible. She was going to die and there was no stopping it.

Rabbit looked down lovingly at the sleeping form of Tabitha in her arms. The poor thing went right to sleep after they made love. Tabitha only smiled at her and told her she loved her before closing her eyes, cuddled close to her chassis. She stared at her poor, battered frame. Her girl had been through so much, but she still kept going.  
She continued to watch over Tabitha and continued reminiscing. It had only been around two weeks since the frightened girl that was Tabitha came to the Greatest Show Unearthed. She was such a timid thing whens he first saw her. She remembered carrying her back into the safety of Walter Manor. She remembered accompanying Tabitha in her search for her now dead sister. She remembered Uncle T bringing back the limp body of Tabitha to the manor and the pain that shortly followed for the poor thing.

She didn't want Tabitha to leave. She didn't want her to die.

Her thoughts were interrupted whens he heard Tabitha whimper softly in her sleep. The whimpers quickly changed to panicked cried. Rabbit smiled lovingly as she gently squeezed the trembling Tabitha.

"It's okay, Tabitha. It's o-o-okay. Everything's fine. It's just a-a-a nightmare. You are safe. As long as-as-as I'm with ya I won't let anything or-or anyone hurt ya. I love ya," Rabbit cooed softly as she gently held Tabitha's head to her chest. She hummed to herself as she gently rubbed her bare back. Tabitha's breathing eventually evened out and a smile replaced her fear. She loved her smiles. They warmed her to her core.

A puff of steam escaped from her lips as she kissed Tabitha's forehead. She sighed as she felt the softness of Tabitha's skin against her chassis. She traced one long finger along Tabitha's spine, making her shiver in her sleep. Humans always fascinated her. She wondered what it was like to truly be alive. She shook away the thought. She was thinking to much. She resorted to thinking about saving Tabitha.  
 _She can't be saved, Rabbit._  
Rabbit rolled her optics in annoyance. She had forgotten to keep her thoughts to herself.  
 _How long have ya been listening, da cummins?_  
There was a brief pause.  
 _You really need to keep your thoughts to yourself, Rabbit._  
 _Go to sleep, ya dummins._  
Rabbit quickly shut The Spine out before he could say anything else. She didn't care what her brother said. She would save Tabitha.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan is created to stop the villainous Uncle T

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It begins

Days had passed since Tabitha's last torture session with Uncle T. She shivered at the thought of the next one to come. She just wanted to be at peace and return home.

Tabitha sat in the large kitchen of Walter Manor, drinking a glass of water. She watched on as Hatchworth vigorously made sandwiches. She grabbed the closest sandwich and ate it halfheartedly. She could feel the dread building up within her. The bronze automaton noticed her frown and paused in his sandwich making.

"Are you alright, dear?" He asked.

"I'm…fine," Tabitha replied.

Hatchworth's faceplates shifted into a look of concern before he went back to his task. Tabitha finished the sandwich and skewered an apple from the fruit bowl with a claw. She had been learning how to properly handle things with her claws and how to touch things without stabbing them.

Tabitha looked up when she heard footsteps enter the kitchen. It was Miss Regan, one of the many Walter workers. She appeared worried about something.

"Ah, Miss Tabitha. Something's going on in the first sitting room. We need you there. You come too, Hatchy," she said anxiously.

Hatchworth froze in place, his optics widened in surprise and fear. He suddenly ran off past Regan and into the hallway leading to where the first sitting room was located. Tabitha got up and followed with Regan behind her. She was expecting trouble to rear it ugly head sooner or later.

"What's going on now, Regan?" Tabitha asked.

"That lunatic, Pinkamena, is here. Miss Lucy and her little sister are with her as well. They're waiting for us. They claim they're not causing trouble and have requested to see you," Regan replied. 

Tabitha remembered Pinkie helping her before and the overall friendly nature of Lucy. She wondered what they wanted.

They eventually found themselves in the enormous sitting room. She saw Rabbit sitting in an arm chair. A Walter worker was busy tinkering on her back as she drank a tall glass of water. The Spine sat across from her in another arm chair, looking grave. Hatchworth stood silently at The Spine's side, looking around in a worried manner. Regan went over to stand by The Spine. He gently took her hand as he glared at who sat on the couch. Pinkie, along with Lucy and her little sister, Nyuu, sat uncomfortably on the couch.. The humans and other members of the manor watched on silently. 

Pinkie's gaze fell on Tabitha and she smiled in a friendly manner.

"Hi, Tabitha! Tell these fellows that we're friends and that we mean no harm," Pinkie chimed. He gaze fell on Rabbit who glared daggers at her.

"You. You-You hurt my girl," Rabbit growled softly. Her optics narrowed into blue and green slits as she exhaled a small cloud of steam. The Walter worker tinkering on her quickly stepped back, looking worried. Pinkie glared back.

"I really do regret hurting her," she growled back.

"That's a lie!" Rabbit screeched. She dug hew fingers into the arms of the chair, leaving scratches. Tabitha walked forward to prevent any violence between the two.

"Pinkie is okay. I trust her. She helped me out after Uncle T tortured me. She says she has changed and I'm sure she's telling the truth," Tabitha explained.

There was a strained silence between everyone before Rabbit spoke up.

"As long as-as-as she doesn't do anything screwy, then she's we-we-welcome. I will personally incarnate ya if-if your'e lying, Miss Pinkie," she hissed. Pinkie stared at her fearfully before turning her gaze back to Tabitha.

What are you three doing here?" Tabitha asked as she turned to Lucy and Nyuu. Lucy cleared her throat and stood up, looking at each person in the room with toxic yellow eyes.

"I'm going to cut to the chase. We are going to kill my father. He is a menace and should be stopped for good," Lucy declared. The Spine ,who was drinking water, suddenly spit it back out in response to Lucy's proposal.

"Kill your father?! Are you sure you want to do that, Miss Lucy? Is little Nyuu okay with this?" The Spine asked incredulously. The sisters only smiled smiled grimly.

"Once that's done, everyone in this damned circus will be free. We can actually live a free life," Lucy said optimistically. Tabitha felt her heart swell with joy. She was going to be free.

"I…I can g-g-go home," she stammered. Lucy's gaze fell on her. It was filled with sorrow.

"I'm afraid you can't go back to your home, Miss Tabitha. No one can return to their homes, except for anyone living in Walter Manor," Lucy said sadly. Tabitha felt her heart skip a beat. What was she talking about?

"Why not?" She asked.

"When my father created this circus, he had the help of our goddess mother. She cast a spell over the circus that eliminated any proof of existence of the victim for their families. Anyone who escapes can never go home because their families won't even know who there are. I'm so sorry, Miss Tabitha," Lucy explained.

Tabitha was silent as she took in the news. Hot tears rolled down her face. She clenched her clawed fists tightly, drawing blood. She could never go home. She felt a cool hand rest on her shoulder.

"Oh, Tabitha. I'm so-so-so sorry," Rabbit whispered.

"If this bastard is going to die, then I want to be the one to do it," Tabitha muttered. The rooms was suddenly silent.

 

HOURS LATER….

 

Tabitha went over the plan once more in her head as she sat in the tub. Lucy and her sister would first injure Uncle T and she would give the final blow with her claws that were acid-proof, according to Lucy.

She felt a new wave of tears drip down her chin which she quickly wiped away. She could never go home. Her family didn't even know she existed. T would suffer for what he did to her. She would make him bleed his acid blood. The thought made her smirk. It would be beautiful.

There was a knock at the door.

"You in there, Tabitha?" The voice of Rabbit asked.

"Yeah. The door's locked," Tabitha replied.

There was a brief moment of silence before the door opened. Rabbit beamed back at her with her pinkie finger in the air.

"M-M-Master lock picker, baby," she crowed. Tabitha smiled back. Rabbit's gaze fell on the bathtub and she exhaled a cloud of steam from her cheek vents.

"Can I j-j-join ya?" She asked. Tabitha stared at her on confusion. She didn't know much about robots, but she did know that water had bad effects on metal and electronics.

"Are you sure? Doesn't water make robots malfunction and rust?" She asked. Rabbit only giggled in response. 

"I'll be fine, baby. Only sea w-w-water really messes with me," Rabbit explained while removing her clothing. Tabitha shrugged. She might as well allow it. 

"Come on in," Tabitha said while moving over to make space. Rabbit finally stripped of her clothing and folded it neatly on a chair. She removed her hat and her wig, placing them on top of her clothes pile. 

Tabitha was glad the tub was huge. The water suddenly go hotter and started bubbling and steaming as the automaton lowered herself into the water. It felt wonderful. Rabbit sighed, more steam pouring out of her mouth and cheek vents as she positioned herself so that Tabitha was dated in between her legs and on her lap. Tabitha shivered whens he felt long, cool arms wrap around her chest. Rabbit rested her pointy chin on top of Tabitha's head, humming happily.

"This is nice," Rabbit murmured. Tabitha merely nodded in agreement. They continued to sit together in silence. 

"A-A-Are ya sure ya wanna go through with th-th-this whole murder business, Tabitha?" Rabbit asked after a few minutes.

Tabitha sighed. She remembered arguing with Rabbit immediately after she said she wanted to be the one to kill Uncle T. It was then decided that she would get help from Lucy and her sister in the process.

"I've already made my decision, Rabbit. He will pay for what he has done," Tabitha replied. She felt a hot puff of steam at the back of her neck, giving her goosebumps despite being in hot water.

"Stubborn girl," Rabbit purred. 

"I sure am," Tabitha smirked. She turned around so that she laid against Rabbit's chassis, facing her properly. Rabbit giggled and planted a kiss on Tabitha's forehead.   
"Now, don't g-g-get ya self killed when the times comes. I-I-I need ya here with me," Rabbit said in a more serious tone. Tabitha nodded solemnly until a thought came to her.

"You need me in the tub?" She asked. Rabbit looked down at her incredulously before bursting into laughter. Tabitha laughed along with her.

The laughter stopped as Rabbit pulled her into a tight hug, pressing Tabitha against her chassis. Tabitha shivered in delight as she felt cool fingers trace themselves along her spine.

"Will ya stay w-w-with me forever?" Rabbit whispered in her ear. Tabitha looked up at her in sorrow. She wanted to return to her home, but she couldn't She had nowhere else to go, except for Walter Manor. What other option did she have?

"I…I will. I promise. As long as I live," Tabitha whispered back. Rabbit smiled lovingly at her as she pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Tabitha knew this was probably her last time where she truly felt happy before what would soon happen. She might as well have the best time of her life with the one she loved.

 

Lucy stared at her father from across the dinner table. He was casually eating a bowl of soup. Nyuu sat in between them, glancing worriedly between the two.

She wanted so desperately to kill him now, but she had promised Miss Tabitha that she would let her give the final blow. She smiled softly as she thought about it.  
Her smile disappeared when her father's gaze fell on her. She always loved her father when she was a child, but that soon changed as she grew older. She didn't understand his business as a child and now that she was older, she knew what was truly going on. It had to stop.

Uncle T stared at her curiously.

"What's wrong, Lucy? You haven't touched your food," he said.

"I'm not hungry," Lucy muttered. She noticed his annoyed glare.

"You're lying, baby. Tell me what's wrong," he growled.

"I'm fine," Lucy growled back. He only shook his head with a chuckle. He turned his attention to Nyuu and smiled.

"Do you know what's wrong with your sister, little baby Nyuu?" He asked in amore friendly manner. Lucy glared at him. He always favored Nyuu over her.

Nyuu finished her soup and looked to her father.

"I don't know what's wrong with her, papa. What are your plans for today?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Hmm, I'm planning on getting Miss Tabitha int he middle of the day. I have another fun-filled session for her. Once I find Miss Pinkie, we'll get to it," he said with a chuckle.

Lucy felt Nyuu's gaze on her. She knew what she was thinking. It was almost time.

 

Tabitha sighed tiredly in the protective arms of Rabbit. They laid together, smiling at each other. Tabitha rested her head against the automaton's chest and hummed softly. The early morning light illuminated the room in a golden shine. It felt so peaceful.

"I-I-I can't wait to introduce ya to the f-f-fans once this madness is over. They've been waiting for us to-to come back for over five years," Rabbit mused.

Tabitha didn't respond. She was suddenly brought back to the harsh reality. She had to kill T which wasn't going to be easy. What would happen if she failed? She shivered at the thought. Rabbit noticed her shiver and pulled her closer, turning up her boiler.

"It's gonna be-be okay, Tabitha," Rabbit whispered while planting a kiss on her forehead.

"What if something goes wrong? I don't want to face endless torture by that monster. He might never let me go," Tabitha muttered. She could remember the cold bite of metal against her flesh. She didn't want to go through that again.

Rabbit was silent for a moment before a crazed smile formed on her lips. She let go of Tabitha and got out of bed. Tabitha sat up and watched as the automaton dug around in a nearby drawer. What was she doing?

Rabbit soon came back with a small device that looked like a T.V. remote with only one red button.

"What's that?" Tabitha asked curiously.

"This is a-a-a tracking beacon. Once ya press this here b-b-button, mah brothers and I will know that you'll need our help and we'll know where t-t-to find ya if ya," Rabbit explained while handing it to her. Tabitha inspected it for a moment before a smile lit up her features.

"Thank you, Rabbit. You're the best," Tabitha said while placing it on a nightstand.

"I know I am, baby. Now, we b-b-both need our rest," Rabbit purred while joining Tabitha in bed. Tabitha's smile got bigger when she felt a cool arm wrap around her waist and pull her close while the other played with her hair. Tabitha nestled close, resting her head underneath Rabbit's chin. She could hear Rabbit hum to herself. Tabitha joined her, despite her weariness.

"I love ya, Tabitha," Rabbit whispered.

"I love you to, Rabbit," Tabitha whispered back.

 

Tabitha awoke with a start. A burning pain in her shoulder had forced her up. She looked over at Rabbit who was deep in stasis. The automaton was unresponsive to Tabitha's awakening. Tabitha was able to squirm out of her protective embrace and saw the cause of her pain. The T engraved in her skin from so long ago was glowing red hot. She felt as if something was pulling her in a certain direction.

Her heart sank as she realized what was going on. T was calling her to him. It was time.

Tabitha got out of bed and quickly got dressed. She grabbed the tracking beacon and hid it in her sleeve. She looked back at Rabbit who slept peacefully. She didn't want anything bad to happen between the two of them once everything unraveled. She shuddered softly and looked down at her claws. She clenched them tight, imagining the death of Uncle T.

"I'll be back, Rabbit," she whispered before leaving the Hall of Faces.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all goes down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Violence and rape (kinda)  
> Also, new characters :3

Everything was quiet in the manor as Tabitha made her way out. A soft smile lit up her features as she stepped outside. It was a beautiful day out. She wanted to enjoy it, but the threat of death kept her happiness at bay. She sighed and continued on her way.

Tabitha soon saw the tent of Grell Sutcliffe and found him reclined in a lawn chair outside. He looked up in her direction and smiled a toothy smile.

"Where are you heading at this time, sweetie?" He asked. Tabitha wondered if she could ask him if her fate had changed.

"I'm going…to see T….but this time he will pay for what he has done," Tabitha replied grimly. Grell cocked his head in confusion and took out his little black bloom.

"He's not supposed to die today, sweetie. I know when he'll be dying-Oh? Well, that's interesting," Grell crowed as he looked at his book.

"What is it?" Tabitha asked fearfully. She could feel her despair growing. Grell only smirked and closed his book.

"That's for you to find out, sweetie. Have a nice day," Grell said while preparing to go back inside. This was her chance.

"Wait! I have one more question, Mr. Grell," Tabitha said. Grell paused and turned to her.

"What is it, dear?"

"Has my fate changed?" Tabitha asked. Grell only chuckled.

"You'll figure it out, sweetie. See you later," Grell chimed as he disappeared into the tent. Tabitha stood there, thinking about what had happened.

Was she going to survive? She wasn't sure. She would soon find out herself. The burning pain came back, forcing her to walk in the general direction of the main circus tent.

A few minutes passed and Tabitha found herself at the main circus tent. It looked so ominous and threatening even in daylight. Tabitha sighed and went inside.  
Tabitha saw Lucy and Nyuu sitting in some of the seats. They seemed to be waiting. Lucy looked up in her direction and smiled grimly.

"She's here, Pinkie," Lucy announced.

The door leading downstairs opened up, revealing a slightly frazzled Pinkie Pie. Her hair was back in its fluffy cotton candy-like hairstyle. She saw Tabitha and ran forward.

"There you are! Uncle T is growing impatient. Let's go!" Pinkie said while leading her toward the door.

"We'll join you later, Tabitha. We'll attack when he least expects it. Good luck," Lucy said before closing the door behind the two.

Tabitha followed Pinkie into the darkness. She could feel her panic and fear returning. Pinkie stopped after a few minutes and turned back to face Tabitha.

"I'll let him know you're coming. I don't want him getting suspicious of me again. Wait a few moments before coming down," Pinkie muttered before racing down into the darkness.

Tabitha wanted to call out to her, but decided not to. She was wary of what might be lurking in the darkness. She started to descend whens he noticed a nearby hallway. She had never come across this before. She glanced back at the staircase and shrugged. She had some time.

There was a single door at the end of the hallway. She could hear machinery and voices from within. Tabitha wanted to find out what was in there. She walked up to the door and knocked three times. The machinery and voices halted, followed by hurried footsteps. The door opened and Tabitha found herself before Fluttershy.

"What a-a-are you doing here?" Fluttershy asked. She looked tired and stressed out. Oil streaked her forehead from working with some kind of machinery.

"I was just going to ask you the same thing," Tabitha replied. What was such a sweet girl like Fluttershy doing in a place like this?  
"You can't be here! My master is already grumpy and I don't want him to get worse. We're very bus-"

"Fluttershy! Who is that?" A deep, angry voice growled before erupting into a coughing fit. Fluttershy sighed and opened the door wide.

"It's Miss Tabitha, Master Diablo. She's the new girl who was willing to give herself to your brother in exchange for her sister's safety," Fluttershy announced. T had a brother?

"Isn't her sister dead?" The voice grumbled.

Tabitha could only hear heavy clicking footsteps approaching. Tabitha gasped when the mysterious Master Diablo came into view. He looked so much like Uncle T. His hair was much longer as it went down past his waist. Tabitha was surprised when she noticed his legs. They looked raptor-like. He had the same clawed hands as Uncle T, but his claws were longer and looked much sharper. Angry, yet tired yellow eyes glared down at Tabitha, reminding her so much of T. He was clothed in a large black cloak, making him more menacing.

"And what are you doing down here, my dear?" Master Diablo growled. Tabitha couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was very intimidating. Tabitha quickly shook away her fear and tried to smile.

"I'm here to kill your brother. He must pay for his crimes," Tabitha said as confidently as she could. Fluttershy gasped and turned to her master.

"I'm sure she's just kidding, master," Fluttershy said with a forced laugh. Diablo was silent as he stared down at Tabitha. Tabitha feared he would react violently.

A dark chuckle filled the air before Diablo burst into laughter. Tabitha looked to Fluttershy and only found confusion from her. Diablo's laughter came to a stop as he coughed violently.

"You think you can actually kill my twin? That's impossible! I would love to see you try, my dear. I would do it myself, but I'm not acid-proof like he is. It's about time someone did something about that bastard," he said in a more friendly tone. Tabitha smiled at the thought that even more of T's kin were against him. 

"So, what are you two doing down here?" Tabitha asked.

"We're working on reviving a Walter bot. The poor fellow was bothering my brother and was shut…shut down by his blood. T gave me his body to dispose of. I wanted to try and revive the poor thing. We're almost done," Diablo said while walking back into the laboratory within. Upon hearing news of another Walter bot, Tabitha's curiosity was peaked.

Tabitha looked inside and followed Fluttershy who motioned for her to come forward.

Tabitha saw Diablo standing before an operating table. Lying on the table was a Walter bot. He seemed to be made from brass. He was a lot smaller than the other robots. His optics were shut tight. A pleasant smile adorned his faceplates. Golden curly hair hung down to his shoulders. The robot wore red and black suspenders, along with a black dress shirt decorated with a red bow tie. A top hat adorned his head with a peacock feather sticking out from the top. He could have been sleeping peacefully if it weren't for the burn marks along his chest.

"His name is The Jon. He's the youngest of those robots. We're so close to finishing," Fluttershy murmured.

"You should leave us, Miss Tabitha. Good luck," Diablo growled softly. Tabitha nodes in response and made her way out. She had already wasted enough time.

As she went down even more stairs, Tabitha thought. There was another Walter bot that existed. What had happened? And T had a twin. Thoughts of what was to come flooded her mind, making her shudder. She could do this, or so she thought.

Tabitha finally reached her destination. The smell of blood and rotting flesh was heavy in the air along with obnoxiously loud opera music. Tabitha walked up to a door and turned the doorknob. It was unlocked.

"Here we go," she sighed as she opened the door and walked in.

"It's about time you got here, darling," T said once she walked in. Tabitha looked around. The torture chamber looked much different now. Was she at the right floor? This looked like a fancy sitting room with a huge table in the middle. T sat in a large armchair with Pinkie standing at his side. She had a huge smile on her face, but her eyes were filled with fear.

"It was too dark. I couldn't get down fast enough," Tabitha replied shortly. T only sighed.

"You look exhausted, darling. Have a seat. Would you like a drink?" T said while getting up and offering his armchair to her. Tabitha hesitated before sitting down.  
Pinkie ran out of the room and returned with a tea set. The pot was boiling with something that smelled vile. The tea set was placed before Tabitha on a stand. She didn't like this one bit.

"I'm not thirsty," Tabitha declared while trying to stand up. T pushed her back in the chair and reached inside his cloak. Metal clamps tightened around her legs, restraining her to the chair with only her arms free.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tabitha demanded. 

"I only want to spend quality time with you, darling. Just relax. I have a special tea for you," T hissed. He picked up a cup and poured the contents of the pot into it. It was blood. Tabitha realized what he wanted to do. She watched in horror as he dropped a fe sugar cubes into the cup and began stirring.

"It's delicious, darling. This is Pinkie's favorite. Right, Pinkie?" T said while glancing at Pinkie. The pink-skinned girl only giggled in response.

"Of course. Here you go, darling. Drink it while it's hot," he crooned while holding the tea cup in front of her. Tabitha only glared at it.

"I don't want it," she muttered as she turned her head away from the foul-smelling drink. 

She heard T chuckle.

"I guess we have to do this the hard way," he hissed. Tabitha felt hands grab her head and force her mouth open. Pinkie smiled down at her as she held her mouth open. She was doing one hell of a job.

Before she could scream out, the drink was poured down her throat, making her cough and gag. She spat blood at T as he continued to pour the scalding hot content of the pot down her throat. She bit Pinkie's hans, making he shriek and pull away, and spat our more blood onto T. He only laughed at the sight. Tabitha shuddered and felt sick as she felt the coppery taste of blood in her mouth and throat. She wiped some blood from her chin and glared daggers at the monster.

"Wasn't that fun, darling?" T purred while brushing away blood off his coat.

"Fuck you," Tabitha hissed while spitting a glob of blood at his feet.

"Language, darling. Pinkie, you can leave, dear," T said in a patronizing tone. Pinkie nodded before rushing out of the room, leaving Tabitha alone with the monster.

"What now?" Tabitha asked sarcastically. 

T only smirked as he sauntered over so that he stood uncomfortably close to her.

"I can smell your arousal, darling. You just fucked recently with that damned robot. It's…intoxicating. I don't see why you chose to be with a being who's not even human when you can be with someone like me," he purred while caressing her cheek with a single claw. Tabitha could feel herself blushing in embarrassment.

"You're no human," Tabitha growled.

"I know I'm not human. I'm what humans fear. You cannot kill me. Nothing can kill me. I am the offspring of the most perfect and terrible organism known to man and you will be the next host," T mused.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tabitha asked incredulously. He was peaking nonsense. 

T only stared hungrily at her as he got very, very close to her face.

"Back off," she hissed.

Before she could slap him across the face, he leaned in quickly and pulled her into a kiss. Tabitha wanted to pull away, but he kept her in place. Tabitha felt something wet and slimy force its way into her mouth and down her throat. She thought it was his tongue, but this was something else to her horror. It had teeth.  
Tabitha wanted to yank away, but feared getting hurt. Tears streamed down her face when she felt something being pumped down her throat. It was disgusting. Tabitha closed her eyes and tried to think about Rabbit.

_Just pretend it's Rabbit._

_No, it's too hot and it hurts. Oh god, it hurts._

_Rabbit would never do this._

_It hurts._

_Don't open your eyes. It'll only get worse._

_It hurts, Rabbit. It really hurts._

Tabitha gasped for breath as T finally pulled away, smirking at her. Her throat ached and her chest was sore.

"What the hell did you do to me?!" Tabitha shrieked.

"Just give it a few days, darling. You'll see," T chuckled.

"Bastard," Tabitha growled. She coughed violently, tasting more blood in the process.

"We really need to fix that filthy mouth of yours, darling. Perhaps I should cut it out since you won't be needing it anymore," T said while grabbing a large kitchen knife.

"I'll cut you!" Tabitha screamed while holding up her claws defensively. T only shook his head.

"You can't do that, darling. Now, shut up and let me work," he hissed while forcing her mouth open. Tabitha slashed at his chest, cutting the fabric.

"No!" She cried out before the stinging bite of metal filled her mouth. She screamed and scratched at whatever she could get her claws on.

"Keep screaming, darling. No one will help you," T cooed. Tabitha grabbed the knife in a blind fury and stabbed him in the chest, making him cry out in pain. Blood and pieces of flesh poured from her mouth, making her retch at the taste and smell. He had cut her tongue badly, but it was still intact.

"I….I'll kill you!" Tabitha screamed while struggling in her bonds. She heard deranged laughter from T as he straightened up and pulled the knife from his chest with ease.

"You've become quite a feisty thing, darling. Not as cowardly as you used to be. I like that," he crowed.

At that moment, the door opened. Tabitha and T both looked in its direction. Lucy, with Nyuu standing behind her, entered the room. T looked at them in confusion before smiling and approaching them with open arms.

"My babies! What ar eyou two doing down here? Daddy's very bust with work right now and he doesn't want to be distracted," he chimed.

"You must stop," Lucy growled. Nyuu nodded. T cocked his head in confusion.

"What are you talking about, Lucy? I just started. Do you want to help?" He asked.

Lucy smirked.

"We'll help Miss Tabitha kill you," Lucy hissed softly. T burst into laughter.

"Oh! That's hilarious! You want to kill me? You father? The one who brought you into this world and kept you safe from your damned mother who wanted to kill you? Why do you wan to kill me? It's impossible," T said in a more serious tone. Lucy paused and glanced at Tabitha. Tabitha was starting to feel faint from the blood loss.

"This all needs to end. And for that to happen, you must die," Lucy muttered. Tabitha felt her bindings fall away from some unseen forced. She stood up but froze when T's angry gaze fell on her. He chuckled darkly. 

"She's still going to die, Lucy. I planted my seed. The child will be here in a few days and you can't stop it. The birth will be beautiful," T mused. Tabitha gasped in horror when she realized what he had done.

"Th-That kiss. H-How is that possible?" she stammered. T winked at her.

"You're gonna die, darling," he hissed.

There was a sickening crack and T suddenly feel tot he floor. He screamed in agony at the sight of his broken legs. Tabitha looked at Lucy and saw her intense gaze as she held her hand out toward him.

"You little shit! You broke my legs!" T screamed. Nyuu walked forward with her head hung low. Tabitha could see the fear in T's eyes.

"Nyuu, don't do this to me, baby." he pleaded.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. Tabitha watched in horror and fascination as T's legs were torn off. Acid blood ate into the floor, sending acrid smoke into the air. T's screams were like and animal's. It was terrible. She knew her time was coming up.

"You horrible brats! How could you do this to me?! You will all pay!" T screeched.

Lucy and Nyuu stepped back from their father, giving Tabitha room. She could hear the monster's ragged breaths as he lay in a pool of steaming yellow blood. He glared up at her with a grim smile on his lips.

"This…won't make any difference, darling. You're still….gonna die," he growled weakly. Tabitha only spit blood at his face.

Before she could do anything, T pounced on her. Tabitha screamed as he scratched at her face while his acid blood ate into her legs. She could feel the weight of what remained of his body on top of her, triggering the tracking beacon without her knowing. Tabitha tried to scratch back but knew she would only make it worse.

"Tear me apart, girls. I know you want to do it," he laughed. Nyuu screamed and tried to help but was stopped by Lucy. Tabitha cried out as T bit into her shoulder. The pain was immense. She couldn't feel her legs. She had to kill him now.

"Any last words, darling?" T growled while baring his teeth. Tabitha noticed an extra set of razor sharp jaws in the back of his throat. They shot out and buried themselves into the floor next to her head. He was stuck for a moment. She saw her chance.

"Rot in Hell," Tabitha muttered while plunging her claws deep into his chest. T screamed as she buried her claws into his heart. More blood gushed out and ate into her arms. Tabitha tried to push him off despite her pain. T hissed as he lunged again with his inner jaws. Tabitha grabbed the extra pair of jaws in her damaged hand. They bit into her, biting off a claw in the process. T's eye's rolled back as he clawed at her. He was suddenly yanked away from her as Lucy reached out and suspended him into the air. Tabitha watched with her last bit of consciousness as Lucy flung his flailing body against the wall repeatedly, burning a hole into it. 

"It's over," Lucy whispered as Tabitha lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's finally dead!
> 
> Anyone catch the Alien references?
> 
> More to come real soon :D


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rabbit discovers the aftermath of Tabitha's battle with Uncle T and it's not pretty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are going to get strange, folks
> 
> Also, many alien references

_Tabitha!_

She felt it.

Rabbit woke up to find Tabitha gone. She gasped softly, realizing what had happened. That bastard had her!

" _Th' Spine!_ " She cried out.

" _I felt it to, Rabbit. We must go now. We leave in five minutes. Time is against us_ ," The Spine said calmly.

" _What's going on, you guys_?" Hatchworth asked worriedly.

" _Stay where you are, Hatchy_ ," The Spine said.

Rabbit quickly got dressed and made her way downstairs to find her brother already waiting for her.

"What exactly is going on?" The Spine asked.

"Tabitha's in danger. I g-g-gave her a tracking beacon in-in case she ever got in big trouble. Something happened. We have to g-g-go!" Rabbit explained while running out of the manor. The Spine followed close behind her.

Rabbit thought about what was happening to Tabitha. That bastard was hurting her. Hurting HER girl. No one gets away with hurting the ones she loved.

Time seemed to pass by slowly until the robots found themselves at the entrance of the main tent. They were surprised to find the little girl, Nyuu, already there. She noticed them and approached. Rabbit noticed that the girl had been crying.

"What are you two doing here?" Nyuu asked in a choked up voice.

Rabbit was about to speak before The Spine stepped forward.

"Miss Tabitha had a tracking beacon on her that was activated. Is she okay?" He asked. 

Nyuu looked down at the floor as if ashamed to answer. Rabbit dreaded for what the answer might be.

"She's…not okay. She's hurt really bad. Uncle Diablo is trying to help her…but…it's really bad," she muttered sadly.

"C-C-Can ya take us to-to her?" Rabbit asked.

Nyuu gave her a sad look before going inside. They followed.

"My papa is dead," Nyuu murmured as they followed her. Rabbit could hear her trying to hold back her tears. She couldn't help but feel pity for the poor child. She had lost her pappy as well, but this was a different situation.

"I'm…so sorry, Miss Nyuu," The Spine said while patting her shoulder. Nyuu only glared at him, making him quickly remove his hand.

"He deserved to die," she growled as she wiped away her tears.

The bots exchanged quick, worrisome glances at each other.

" _The poor thing is so young_!" Rabbit said sadly.

 _"I know. She'll learn that this was all for a good cause_ ," The Spine replied solemnly.

Nyuu led the robots down the winding staircase. Everything was silent except for Rabbit's nervous tics.

They finally reached the laboratory floor. Nyuu paused and looked back at them with a scared look on her face. Rabbit was on edge. She just wanted to see Tabitha.

"Go ahead. My sister knows you two are here. I…I can't go in there," Nyuu said as she made her way back upstairs.

"Poor baby," Rabbit muttered to herself as she and The Spine walked down the hallway toward the only door. Rabbit grabbed the door handle and flung it open.

"What are we going to do first? The infant will be here anytime soon. If we do that now, chances are she'll bleed to death. Do you have any prosthetics she can use?" The voice of Lucy asked.

"I can check. Just freeze her. We need time to prepare," the grumpy voice of Diablo growled.

Rabbit screamed, getting the attention of everyone in the room. She saw Tabitha in the cryotube. She ran forward, pushing a frazzled Fluttershy out of the way. Tabitha was barely recognizable anymore. Her legs were completely eaten way mid-thigh. More horrible scratches decorated her nude form There were patches of skin that had been burned off on her arms. There was a terrible bite wound on her shoulder, exposing the bone and muscle beneath. Her mouth was open with her tongue barely attached. Rabbit couldn't take her optics away from the sight.

"Miss Walter, please get out of the way. We're trying to save her," Diablo said sternly.

"No," Rabbit muttered. She felt he optics leak with oil. Steam poured out from her mouth and cheek vents.

"She'll die, Miss Walter."

"N-N-N-No."

Rabbit felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay, Rabbit. She'll be okay," a familiar voice chimed. Rabbit froze at the sound of that voice. She turned and saw the sadly smiling face of her baby brother, The Jon. He was back. Rabbit wanted to feel relieved but Tabitha current state was more important.

Rabbit saw The Spine's stoic expression break at the sight of his youngest brother. He grabbed the young bot and hugged him.

"Can I have a hug, Rabbit?" The Jon asked. Rabbit ignored him.

"Can she b-b-be saved?" She asked. Diablo gazed down at the unconscious Tabitha. Rabbit saw the exhaustion in his eyes. Lucy crossed her arms with her back turned against the tube, trying to avoid looking in. Fluttershy sat on a counter, nervously cleaning tools.

"I can do what I can. But there's one thing that's very wrong," Diablo sighed.

"Wh-What is it?" Rabbit asked impatiently.

Diablo shook his head and turned on a nearby screen. It looked like an X-ray of Tabitha, but there was something off. There was some kind of stain in the middle of her chest. Rabbit leaned in to take a closer look and gasped. It looked like a human fetus, but with strange abnormalities. It had a long tails that ended in a barb. Its legs were raptor-like, similar to Diablo's. Its upper body appeared human except for the ridged spine. It was oddly fascinating to Rabbit.

"Is Tabitha…p-p-pregant?" Rabbit finally asked.

"Yes. That bastard impregnated her. She will die when the infant forces its way out of her chest. I have Miss Tabitha temporarily frozen to stop the bleeding and the infant from growing anymore. I want to cut the infant out an determinate it, but there's something off with it. It looks more human. I think more of Miss Tabitha's DNA mixed with T's. This is very rare," Diablo explained before breaking out in a coughing fit.

The Jon shivered and buried his face in The Spine's chest. Rabbit and her brothers knew about T's ancestry. It wasn't pretty, but the possibly of an actual child from Tabitha was tempting to Rabbit. She could be a mother. She wanted the child.

"What are ya g-g-going to do to it once ya c-cut it out?" Rabbit asked nervously. Diablo was silent for a moment as he thought over it.

"I was planning on just killing it when I heard that Miss Tabitha had been impregnated, but I think I'll let it live and see how it turns out. I can inject more of Miss Tabitha's DNA into it as she grows," Diablo grumbled while walking over to the X-ray and continued, "Hmm, it looks like it might be a girl."

"It's a g-g-girl?!" Rabbit asked incredulously.

"Of course, Miss Walter. Now, can all of you leave me and my assistant alone for a few days. Fluttershy and I have a lot of work to do. Fluttershy will contact you once the child has been removed. Spread the news that T is dead and that everyone is free to leave," Diablo sighed tiredly. 

Rabbit took a quick glance at the frozen Tabitha. She smiled sadly, knowing that Tabitha would be alright despite being horribly scarred. And there was the child. A beautiful baby girl. She was finally going to be a mother and so was Tabitha. It was going to be wonderful. A thought suddenly came to her.

"C-C-Can I name the baby?" She asked.

"Rabbit, no. We have to go," The Spine muttered. The Jon nodded and went to hug Rabbit, wrapping his arms around her waist and never letting go. Diablo chuckled at the sight.

"Of course, Miss Walter. What will it be?" He asked curiously.

Rabbit stared at the X-ray of the child. The perfect name suddenly came to her.

"Her name is-is-is Makenzi. Mak for short," Rabbit smiled while tousling The Jon's curly hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter :/  
> Also, introducing Mak and Big Mama Rabbit :3


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rabbit finally meets Mak and is completely drawn to her. She was everything she had ever dreamed of in a child, but is Mak as innocent as she looks?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A whole lot of cuteness and fluff in this chapter :3

Rabbit waited impatiently outside the door to the laboratory. Steam poured out of her mouth as she huffed. She always hated waiting.

"Sit down, Miss Rabbit," Nyuu muttered. The little girl sat in Hatchworth's lap. Hatchworth hummed softly to himself as he played with her hair. The two had become close friends over the past few days. The Jon sat next to the duo. He looked worried but still had a smile on his face. Rabbit looked down the hallway and saw The Spine talking to Lucy. She didn't know what they were discussing but she didn't care. She only cared about the safety of Tabitha and baby Mak. 

Rabbit's thoughts were interrupted when the laboratory door opened. The winged girl, Fluttershy, walked out. She looked at Rabbit and smiled tiredly.

"Any g-g-good news, doc?" Rabbit asked.

"Miss Tabitha will be fine. She just has to wake up from her coma. Diablo cut out little Mak an hour ago and-"

"What's she-she-she like, Flutters?" Rabbit interrupted.

"Oh, she's a sweetheart. I've never seen anything like her. Master Diablo says that she'll grow quickly over the next few days. He believes she'll be learning to walk and talk real soon. Would you like to see her? She should be sleeping right now," Fluttershy chimed.

"Of course! Lead the way," Rabbit announced. Nyuu hopped off of Hatchworth's lap and helped him up. They held hands as The Jon, The Spine, and Lucy followed.  
Rabbit looked around and saw Diablo and Pinkie Pie standing around the cryotube containing Tabitha. Diablo looked in their direction and sighed tiredly.

"The child is just down that hall. Last room to the right. Whatever you do, don't disturb the child. She's still dangerous," Diablo warned.

Rabbit paused, letting everyone else go ahead of her. She walked up to the cryotube and looked in. It was covered in frost, which Rabbit wiped away, revealing Tabitha's face. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

"Let's give her a moment," Pinkie suggested while leading Diablo away.

Rabbit gazed down at Tabitha. She continued to wipe away the frost and saw the alterations to her body. Tabitha now had robotic arms and legs. More stitches and scars decorated her nude form. One stitch caught her eye. It ran down Tabitha's chest, between her breasts. That was where Mak was cut out.

"Please wake up s-s-soon, Tabitha. I need ya here w-w-with me. So much has happened. I'm g-g-gonna tell baby Mak all about ya. She's gonna love ya. We'll be-be-be waiting for ya, baby," Rabbit whispered as she kissed the glass above Tabitha's head.

"Miss Rabbit? Are you coming?" Fluttershy asked. Rabbit wiped away some oil and turned toward her friend. Fluttershy smiled sadly and led her back to the group.

No one questioned Rabbit as she walked into the room. They were transfixed at what was behind the one-way window. Rabbit pushed her way through and got her first look at Baby Mak.

Mak wriggled around in a makeshift cradle, her eyes shut tight. She had been swaddled in a blanket, but she had torn through it with her raptor like legs. Besides the raptor like legs and feet, Mak almost looked human. She had long arms that ended in long fingers. Her black nails were sharp, but not claw-like. Her ridged spine stuck out from underneath her onesie. Her long tail flicked around, poking holes in the cradle. Rabbit found herself in awe at the sight of Mak's face as she opened her eyes and looked around. They were a dark red. She looked almost exactly like Tabitha, except that she was completely bald.

"She's adorable!" Rabbit cooed. Her maternal instincts that she had downloaded recently came to life. She wanted to hold little Mak.

"We're gonna be best friends! I hope she's friendly," The Jon chimed.

"I'm confused. I thought humans were pregnant for nine months. Miss Tabitha was only pregnant for a few days. How is this possible?" Hatchworth asked curiously.

"Ah, I'll explain later, Hatchy," The Spine replied.

"I wanna hold her," Rabbit whispered to Fluttershy. Fluttershy frowned.

"You'll have to wait, Miss Rabbit. Once Mak can walk and talk, I can introduce her to you. You can come back in a week to meet her. That's when she'll no longer be an infant and will most likely be in her juvenile stage. I'll have so much to teach her," Fluttershy replied. Rabbit huffed impatiently at the thought of waiting longer.

 

ONE WEEK LATER…

 

Rabbit stood before the cry tube containing Tabitha. She had visited her each day while waiting for the chance to meet Mak. She always came alone.

"I r-r-really hope you're not in pain anymore. You have to-to wake up eventually. I still need to introduce ya to pappy. I've already t-t-old him all about ya and baby Mak. We've let our-our fans know that we'll be coming back. They're so excited to m-m-meet ya. I haven't told them about baby Mak yet. Everyone in the c-c-circus is free to leave now and start a-a-a new life. Most people have left, but some of the younger and poorer fellas have d-d-decided to stay in the area since they have n-n-nowhere to go," she rambled on.

"Miss Rabbit?" The soft voice of Fluttershy asked.

"Yes?"

"Little Mak will see you now. I told her that she has a special guest. She's really excited," Fluttershy smiled. A puff of steam escaped from her lips as Rabbit squealed happily. Fluttershy giggled at the sight and led her down the hall toward Mak's room.

Rabbit looked at the one-way window into Mak's room and saw nothing. Her room had changed. It looked more like a play area. Toys littered the floor along with multiple sheets of paper with multicolored scribbled on them. There was a large open wardrobe that contained many dresses. Rabbit noticed scratches along the walls. Mak was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she?" She asked worriedly.

"She's in her containment chamber. We have to keep her in there to prevent her from hurting herself when she's alone. I talk to her all the time when she's in there when Diablo isn't around. She really enjoys it. I'll open it up for you," Fluttershy said while pressing a button on a nearby console. The back walls in the room opened up. Fluttershy opened the door tot he room and walked in. Rabbit followed.

The two stood before the open containment chamber. Rabbit could hear someone breathing from within.

"Good morning, Mak! It's me, Aunty Fluttershy. I have someone here who really wants to meet you. Come on out, sweetie. Don't be scared," Fluttershy cooed.

Soft footsteps filled the air. A small form appeared from behind the left wall. Rabbit gasped softly at the sight of Mak. She was entirely nude except for the bandages and strange helmet covering her head. Multiple air holes decorated the helmet. She was so thin. She looked like she could be around four years old. Her long tail was curled between her legs like a scared dog would do.

"Let me get you a dress, sweetie, " Fluttershy chimed while walking to the wardrobe and picking out a black dress.

Mak stayed where she was, her masked head gazing silently at Rabbit. Rabbit was stunned at her condition. She noticed the way her raptor-like legs wobbled weakly and realized she was about to fall over. She lunged forward and caught Mak in her arms. Mak cried out softly in surprise. Tears started leaking out of the air holes.

"You p-p-poor little thing. Don't cry, baby. It's alright," Rabbit purred. Her maternal instincts were in full swing now. She sat down and puled Mak into her lap and comforted her with a lullaby. Fluttershy watched in awe.

Once she had finished, Rabbit wiped away the tears from Mak's helmet.

"You…You smell like mama," Mak whispered. Her voice was incredibly soft and innocent-sounding.

"I do?" Rabbit asked in surprise.

"Are you mama?"

Rabbit was surprised at her level of intelligence. All she wanted to do now was take off that mask and talk with her directly.

"Well, I'm your mama's s-s-special one. That means you h-h-have two mamas', baby. You c-c-can call me Mama Rabbit," Rabbit explained while removing the wrappings from the top of her head. Mak didn't object as she watched silently. Rabbit saw a button on the side of Mak's helmet and pressed it. The mask came off, letting out a small hiss of steam. Large, maroon eyes gazed curiously up at Rabbit. Mak looked confused as she stared up at Rabbit.

"You have your m-m-mama's eyes," Rabbit cooed while caressing Mak's cheek. Her skin was incredibly soft to the touch. Mak smiled, revealing small, razor-sharp teeth. Rabbit couldn't help but smile back. Mak was perfect.

"Ah, Miss Rabbit? Little Mak needs to get dressed," Fluttershy said, interrupting the tender moment.

"Let me do-do it, Flutters," Rabbit replied softly. Fluttershy nodded and handed her the dress. Mak saw the dress and raised her arms over her head in response.

"What's it like here, Mak?" Rabbit asked while dressing Mak. Mak was silent before she suddenly glared at the one-way window. Her lips curled back as she hissed softly.

"The mean man hurts me," Mak growled.

"Master Diablo just runs tests on her daily. Lots of blood work, especially with transferring Tabitha's DNA into her. She doesn't enjoy it," Fluttershy explained. Rabbit could see the fear in Mak's eyes as the door opened and Diablo walked in. Mak whimpered and hugged Rabbit tightly, her tail wrapped around her waist. Diablo chuckled darkly at the scene.

"I think you should leave now, Miss Walter. It's time for more tests, dear Mak," he grumbled. Mak shrieked and clung to Rabbit.

"Don't let the mean man hurt me, Mama Rabbit!" She cried. Rabbit hugged her as she glared at Diablo. How dare he hurt her little one! Steam poured out of her cheek vents with a loud hiss.

"Don't be mad, Miss Walter. She's just scared of the needles. She'll get used to it," Diablo said calmly. 

"I'm n-n-n-not buying that crap. You're h-h-hurting mah baby," Rabbit hissed.

"She's not yours, Miss Walter," Diablo chuckled as he sauntered out of the room.

Rabbit shook her head and hugged Mak who had started crying. Fluttershy wiped away her own tears and sat next to Rabbit.

_He's lying._

_She's mine._

_She's ours._

_She's my baby. She's my baby. She's my baby._

She saw red as she felt oily tears dripping off her chin. Not good. Not good at all. Too much emotional trauma was never good.

"Are…Are you okay, Miss Rabbit?" Fluttershy asked fearfully. She tried to pull Mak away from her, but was unsuccessful as Rabbit glared daggers at her.

"I….I think you should go now, Miss Rabbit. You don't look well."

"I'm taking her w-w-with me," Rabbit declared as she stood up, carrying Mak with her. She barely weighed anything.

"You can't do that! She's not ready to go out! She's still very dangerous!" Fluttershy cried out while running forward to guard the door.

"I'm not having a s-s-sweet little girl like Mak spend her early d-d-days living in fear. You can't stop me-me, Flutters. Mama Rabbit is in-in-in control now," Rabbit muttered while pushing Fluttershy tot he side with her foot.

Fluttershy opened her mouth to object, but stopped as Rabbit left with her precious cargo.

"Where are we going, Mama Rabbit?" Mak asked curiously after wiping away her tears.

"I'm taking ya home, baby. You'll l-l-love it there," Rabbit cooed.

Rabbit walked into the main room where Diablo was busy at a computer. Mak hissed softly at the sight of Diablo. Diablo looked up and noticed the two. A frazzled Fluttershy appeared behind Rabbit.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

"I'm bringing Mak with me. She shouldn't l-l-live in fear all the time. She'll do-do better at Walter Manor. Call us when Tabitha w-w-wakes up," Rabbit said while making her way to the door.

"You're making a huge mistake, but go ahead," Diablo chuckled. Rabbit ignored him and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

The two were silent as they ascended the long staircase. They eventually found themselves in the main tent. It glowed a dark red front he afternoon sun. Mak was amazed at the sight. She wriggled and squirmed in Rabbit's arms until she had to lower her to the ground. Mak squealed in delight as she dug her toes into the dirt.

"What is this?" Mak asked while grabbing a big handful of dirt. Rabbit couldn't help but smile at her curiosity.

"That's dirt, baby. There' a lot more-more outside. Follow me," Rabbit said while grabbing Mak's hand and leading her outside.

Rabbit's smile got bigger as she listened to Mak's little gasps and squeals as they walked outside. Rabbit let her go and watched as she ran ahead to explore. Her smile faltered as she thought about Tabitha. She wondered if she would ever wake up.

"Mama Rabbit!" The voice of Mak cried out, knocking rabbit out of her thoughts. Rabbit could hear the fear in her voice. She ran in the direction of the voice and found Mak around the corner of a nearby tent. Mak stood before Grell Sutcliffe who gazed down curiously at her.

"What a strange, little creature. I've never seen anything like you before," he giggled. Rabbit noticed the chainsaw in his hands and belt her panic levels rise.

"Mak!" Rabbit exclaimed. 

Mak turned at her voice and ran to her her, hugging her tightly. Rabbit hugged her back and picked her up.

"This man is scary, Mama Rabbit," Mak said fearfully while resting her head against her chest. Grell looked confused.

"She's yours?" He asked.

Rabbit only nodded. Grell looked on in surprise before suddenly bursting into laughter.

"Oh! That's lovely! Didn't Tabitha get infected by T? That must be the result. How terrible!" He chortled.

"I thought you would be-be-be heading out when you found out T was dead," Rabbit muttered.

"I was, but I still have some unfinished business around here. There are still some poor, suffering souls that need to be reaped. See you later, Mama Rabbit," he crowed while walking off. She looked down at Mak who still hid her face in her bosom.

"It's okay, baby. The-The-The scary man is gone," Rabbit crooned while petting her head. Mak looked up at her and smiled a very toothy smile.

"Why are ya so-so-so darn cute?" Rabbit asked playfully. She tickled Mak underneath her chin, making the child giggle.

 

MINUTES LATER….

 

"Here we are," Rabbit announced as Walter Manor came into view. Mak gazed in wonder.

"My new home?" She asked.

As if on cue, The Jon came running out from the main entrance toward the two. He looked overjoyed at the sight of a new friend.

"Hello, Rabbit! Hello, Baby Mak! Welcome to Walter Manor!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Mak screeched at the sight of him and hid her face in Rabbit's chest. The Jon stopped in his tracks when he saw Mak react.

"Jon! I though I told you to wait!" The Spine grumbled as he walked out. Hatchworth followed behind him. They paused when they saw Mak in distress.

"What's w-w-wrong, baby?" Rabbit asked. Mak didn't reply. She simply clung to Rabbit out of fear, her barbed tail wrapped tightly around her arm.

"What happened?" Hatchworth asked.

"The Jon scared her. Poor b-b-baby. She's never seen anything l-l-like us before," Rabbit explained while rubbing Mak's back.

"I didn't mean to scare her. I just want to be friends," The Jon pouted.

Rabbit could see Mak's large eyes gazing up at her fearfully. She smiled lovingly and nuzzled her cheek, making her giggle.

"There's n-n-nothing to be scared of, baby. These are-are mah little brothers and your uncles. They won't hurt ya," Rabbit cooed. 

She lowered Mak to the ground in front of her brother. The child stood up before the three automatons. The Jon bent down and held out his hand for her to shake. Mak was hesitant at first before placing her tiny hand in his.

"Hello, Baby Mak. My name's The Jon. Do you like ice cream parades?" He asked. Mak cocked her head in confusion.

"Ice cream? Parade?" She questioned.

"You don't know? Whatever. We're best friends now. Do you like hugs?" The Jon asked while holding out his hands for a hug. Mak ignored him, making the others chuckle at his heartbroken expression, and walked toward The Spine. He smiled and bent down on one knee to be eye level with her.

"Hello there, little one. My name's The Spine. I'm sure you're going to love it here," he said charmingly while shaking her hand. Mak giggled and blushed a bright pink. The Spine chuckled and patted her head before standing to his full height.

"Aww, it seems that she has a-a-a crush on ya, Th' Spine," Rabbit teased playfully.

Mak smiled as she grabbed and hugged The Spine's leg. The Spine's faceplates shifted from contentment to worry as he tried to gently shake her off. Mak refused to let go.

"I'll get her," Hatchworth chimed while attempting to grab her. Mak still refused to let go. Rabbit laughed at the sight while The Jon only watched with a growing smile.

"Get her off!" The Spine cried out. He had to stay still to prevent any injury in case he fell over.

"I got her!" Hatchworth exclaimed while holding a squirming Mak in his arms. The Spine breathed a sigh of relief, a huge puff of steam escaping from his lips.

"Mama Rabbit!" Mak cried out. Rabbit smiled as she watched Hatchworth attempt to comfort her.

"Hey there, friend. It's alright. My name's Hatchworth. I'm not gonna hurt you. Would ya like a sandwich?" He asked while reaching into his chest and pulling a sandwich from his pocket. He handed it to Mak who sniffed it curiously before throwing it to the ground, making the bronze automaton gasp in horror. He dropped to his knees, letting Mak squirm out of his grip.

"That was a grilled BLT," he whimpered. Mak ran back into Rabbit's arms. Rabbit watched in admiration as she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Are ya t-t-tired, baby?" She cooed. Mak nodded tiredly.

"You treat her like she's your own child," The Spine commented humorously. Rabbit rolled her optics in annoyance. She had forgotten to tell them that she wanted to be a mother. She and her brothers weren't exactly made to be parents, but over the years they had gained experience by taking care of the younger members that lived within Walter Manor.

"She-She-She is my baby," Rabbit muttered as she walked inside. She could feel their surprised glances watching her.

" _We'll talk later_ ," The Spine grumbled.

Mak looked around in wonder at everything. She was soaking everything up like a little sponge. And the questions never ended.

"What's that?"

"That's a-a-a television."

"What's this?"

"A chandelier."

"What are those?"

"Uncle Hatchy's f-f-fancy shoes. What are they doing on t-top of the bookshelf?"

Before they knew it, they finally found themselves at the door to the Hall of Faces.

"This is-is-is my room, Mak. It's called the Hall of-of Faces," Rabbit explained while opening the door. She set Mak on the floor who ran in. Rabbit chuckled and turned on a nearby lamp. Mak seemed to be frozen in place as she stared at the multitude of faceplates and photographs on the walls. Mak then smiled tiredly and pointed at the nearest faceplate.

"That's Mama Rabbit," she crowed. She continued pointing at each faceplate, identifying each as Mama Rabbit.

"And that's Mama Rabbit. And this is Mama Rabbit. And those are Mama Rabbit," she droned on tiredly. Rabbit giggled and scooped up Mak in her arms, making her squeal in delight.

"It's t-time for bed, baby," Rabbit crooned while walking toward the bed. Mak gazed curiously at it as if she hadn't seen anything like it before. Rabbit hummed a tune as she placed Mak underneath the covers.

"So soft!" Mak exclaimed while hugging a pillow. Rabbit frowned. She wondered what living in that containment chamber was like. What had Diablo put her through? She pushed the thought away. Mak's happiness and well-being were more important right now.

Rabbit pulled off her goggled top hat and wig and placed them on her armchair. She took off her dress and went to place it on one her mannequins in the closet. Humming, she went back into the room and rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a black tank top and pink pajama shorts. She could feel Mak's curious gaze on her as she got dressed. She smirked and turned around to face her baby girl.

"You look pretty, Mama Rabbit," Mak chimed. Rabbit beamed down at her. It had been a while since someone, besides Tabitha, had called her that. She laid down next to Mak and pulled her close to her chassis.

"Thank you, Mak. You're s-s-such a sweetie. Sweet enough to-to eat," she purred while planting a kiss on Mak's forehead. Mak was taken aback by the act.

"What's that?" She asked. Rabbit looked down at her in confusion. How could she not know about the most common sign of affection.

"Th-Th-That was a kiss, baby. It's what people do when they re-re-really love each other," Rabbit explained. Mak was deep in thought before she looked up at Rabbit with a twinkle in her red eyes.

"I love you, Mama Rabbit!" Mak declared happily as she pecked Rabbit on the cheek. Rabbit couldn't help but smiled as she covered Mak's face with her cold kisses, making Mak burst into laughter. Her laughter was almost melodic. Rabbit eventually stopped and watched as Mak Yawned once more.

"When will Mama Tabitha be here?" She asked tiredly. Rabbit froze for a moment. How did she know about Tabitha's name?

"I-I-I don't know, baby. Soon. Now, it's time f-f-f-for you to sleep," Rabbit whispered as she stroked Mak's smooth face. She hummed a calming tune as she watched Mak drift to sleep. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. So serene. So…human. Sure she didn't exactly look like one, but she was human. Rabbit was glad Mak was her child. And soon, Tabitha would join them and they would be a happy little family.

Rabbit sighed and pulled Mak close to her. The child shivered in her sleep upon contact with her cold, metal skin. Rabbit turned up her boiler a bit, making heat for her baby. The shivering soon stopped, only to be replaced with a soft sigh and a sleepy smile. Rabbit pulled the blankets up more and closed her optics.

 

She was hungry. Very, very hungry. 

Mak's eyes fluttered open to find herself in darkness. She immediately saw Rabbit fast asleep and smiled when she found herself in her mother's protective embrace. She could hear her breathing, or what sounded like breathing. It sounded like a mix of soft clicks, hisses, and hums. Her chest glowed a soft red. She loved her mother's scent. She smelled like mama and….something else that she couldn't find the words to describe.

Mak squirmed out of her mother's embrace and sat next to her. She gently poked her side to wake her up. No response.

"Mama Rabbit?" Mak whispered. Still no response. Mak frowned in confusion. Why was she not waking up. A deep sleeper perhaps.

Mak shrugged and hopped out of bed. She would find her own meal. She quickly left the room and wandered the halls. She thought about her times in that room. She thought about the live mice that were fed to her. She knew she would find something better than stinky, old mice. She hissed softly as her stomach grumbled. She was very, very hungry.

A strange smell caught her attention. It smelled…wonderful. She follow it down multiple hallways and staircase before she found herself in front of an open doorway. She looked in and found a young girl sitting at a desk. The girl's messy blonde hair fell over her eyes as she scribbled something on a piece of paper. She was completely unaware of what stood behind her. Mak licked her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's gonna get a bit spooky and bloody in the next chapter


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rabbit discovers that Mak might not be as innocent as she seems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter  
> Warning: Blood and gore and creepiness

" _Rabbit! Get up_!" The frantic voice of The Spine commanded.

Rabbit broke out of stasis to find that Mak was not inner arms. She screamed once before jumping out of bed and running for the door. 

" _Where's Mak_?" She asked desperately. She could hear commotion from the ground floor.

" _First floor. East wing. It's serious_ ," The Spine replied shortly.

Rabbit sprinted down the stairs as avast as she could. Steam poured out of her mouth as she got to the ground floor and headed for the east wing.  
She stopped in her tracks when she saw the entrance to the east wing hallway. All of the occupants of the east wing, mostly those who had nowhere to go and many Walter workers, were crowded around The Jon who held a little blue-haired girl in his arms. The girl cried into his chest as everyone offered sympathetic words. The Jon cried with her, black tears dripping to the floor. Hatchworth sat in a nearby chair, his head held in his hands. Steam poured out of his chimney pipe. Oil dripped from between his fingers.

"She's dead. She's gone!" The girl cried.

"What's going on here?" A voice asked from behind Rabbit. Rabbit turned to face Lil Steve who had hopped onto a nearby chair.

"I-I-I don't know, Lil Steve. Go find Steve," Rabbit muttered. Lil Steve glanced at the crowd and ran to join them. Rabbit shook her head and walked into the east wing hallway. She didn't have to walk far.

The Spine, along with Lucy, Peter VI, and Diablo were all standing around, discussing something. A frightened Fluttershy stood to the side behind Diablo. She held her right arm in her left as it bled from a bite wound.

"She can't stay here. She's too dangerous," Peter growled.

"You'll have to deal with Rabbit on that, Peter. She has already grown attached to Mak. She won't give her up," The Spine responded.

"Once she sees all of this, she'll change her mind," Diablo said with a dark chuckle. His gaze fell on Rabbit and he shook his head.

"She's here," he muttered. Everyone turned to stare at Rabbit, she could see the anger, fear and worry in their eyes.

"What happened? Where's Mak?" Rabbit asked worriedly. Diablo chuckled once more and walked over to Rabbit. His toxic yellow eyes held a sense of pride.

"You shouldn't have taken the little one away so early, Miss Walter. A youngling is dead because of you. Mak's in there feeding on her corpse," Diablo crowed as he pointed to the room behind him. Rabbit shook her head in disbelief. She didn't want to believe a word of what he said.

"Why wasn't I notified of any of this before she came here?" Peter demanded.

"We were going to tell you later, Peter," The Spine replied.

"Nonsense! Rabbit is to blame fo fall of this. I'm going to my office now," Peter growled while storming off.

Rabbit glanced at the darkened room. She couldn't see anything in there. She couldn't even imagine Mak killing anyone. 

"Who d-d-did she kill?" She asked softly.

The Spine stepped forward and patted her shoulder. Rabbit's worry only grew at the action.

"That lonely girl, Satoko, was killed. Poor thing. I saw the mess when Fluttershy tried to talk to her…It's not good, Rabbit. Mak attacked her. Thank goodness it was only a bite," he said as stoically as he could. Rabbit could see the sorrow in his optics.

Fluttershy walked forward. Rabbit noticed the winged girl's trembling as she wiped away tears with her uninjured arm.

"I'll…I'll be fine. Mak just…didn't want to listen to me. I think you're the only one to talk some sense into her," Fluttershy said softly.

"She needs to be back in containment. She's too dangerous," Lucy spoke up. Diablo grunted in approval.

Rabbit felt her anger rise at the thought of her baby being back in that awful place. She felt The Spine gently give a comforting squeeze of her shoulder.

"It's the only option, Rabbit. Mak will only continue her violence if she isn't contained," he said as reassuringly as possible. Rabbit only brushed his hand off. She glared at Diablo.

"This is all y-y-your fault! You kept her cooped up in there! She-She hasn't been raised properly! She's staying here where I'll t-t-teach her to behave! You can't take her away from me-me-me!" Rabbit hissed while pointing an accusatory finger at Diablo. She was about to lunge forward before The Spine grabbed her.

"You're only making things worse, Rabbit. Calm down!" He commanded. Rabbit hissed softly and pushed him away with ease. She saw Diablo who had backed away. Fluttershy hid behind his black cape, crying softly. Lucy only turned to glare at the darkened doorway. Rabbit sighed and attempted to calm down.

"Just…let me talk to her. I'll take her outside so-so that things can get straightened out. She's a-a-a good girl, I promise," Rabbit pleaded. There was a tense silence followed by a loud hacking cough from Diablo.

"You're a very protective mother, Miss Rabbit. I admire that. I'll let her stay, but she still needs treatment. You can be with her during those times. She just needs certain things from her containment chamber. I'll get them," Diablo growled.

"Diablo? D-D-Do ya think you can bring Tabitha's cryotube to-to Walter Manor? I want her to be-be-be close by," Rabbit asked in an almost pleading tone. Diablo paused and regarded her silently. He nodded before stomping off. Fluttershy hurried behind him. Rabbit heaved a sigh of relief, exhaling a cloud of steam.

"I guess….I'll g-g-go in now," she muttered.

"You won't like what you'll see," Lucy said as he walked off. Rabbit looked to The Spine who only looked away with the brim of his hat covering his optics.

"I should check on the others. Good luck," he grumbled as he left.

She was alone now. Rabbit turned back to th open doorway. She had to do this now.

She walked into the darkness, her optics softly illuminated the space before her. She could hear something in the farthest corner of the room. Rabbit glance around and saw a light switch. Holding her breath, she flipped the switch.

It looked like a scene out of a horror movie. Rabbit gasped softly at the sight of blood spattered on the walls. The room was a complete mess from what looked like an apparent struggle. It brought back painful memories. Memories that she didn't want to remember. She heard a soft hiss and movement from behind an upturned desk. Mak was there. Rabbit approached the desk and saw her. Mak knelt next to the corpse of the girl, Satoko. She was busy digging around in her entrails, occasionally pulling out a piece of flesh to eat. She hummed a child's tune as she ate. She seemed so content and happy in the presence of terror. Satoko's face was frozen in an agonizing scream.

"Mak," Rabbit said softly. Mak immediately looked up at the sound of Rabbit's voice. She saw Rabbit and smiled, blood dripping from her mouth

"Hello, Mama Rabbit. You're awake," Mak chimed. Rabbit sat down so that she was eye level with Mak. She held back her disgust at the sight of the murder.

"Mak…What have you d-d-done?" Rabbit asked in a serious tone. She shifted her faceplates so that she looked more serious than distressed. Mak saw this and frowned in confusion.

"My tummy growled, Mama Rabbit. I was hungry," Mak replied.

"Ya can't kill others, baby. It's v-v-very bad. It's a horrible thing to-to-to do," Rabbit explained. Mak paled at the statement. She glanced at the body and back to Rabbit. Her bottom lip trembled as she sniffled.

"I was hungry, Mama Rabbit. Am I bad? Are you gonna send me back to the mean man?" Mak whimpered. She whimpered and tried to wipe away the blood that stained her face. Rabbit couldn't stop her maternal instincts from kicking in. She gently grabbed Mak and pulled her close to her chassis. Mak gazed up at her fearfully.

"You're not a bad girl, Mak. You're still a-a-a baby. It's the mean man's fault. He didn't treat ya r-r-right. And I ain't gonna send ya back, baby," Rabbit cooed while hugging her gently. Mak whimpered softly and buried her face in her chest. 

"Let's go outside, baby. Ya need fresh air-air," Rabbit said while picking her up and walking out of the room. She paused adnd looked down the hallway. She could hear voices in the distance. They had to go the other way to avoid unwanted attention. She knew another way outside.

Rabbit smiled to herself as she walked into a nearby bedroom. The room had a large window that overlooked the gardens. She walked over to it and opened it with ease. Rabbit tightened her grip on Mak and stepped out of the window.

It was cool, moonlit night. Rabbit sighed softly sand looked down at her precious bundle. Mak looked up in war at the sight of the garden.

"It's pretty," Mak whispered. Rabbit smiled.

She decided to bring Mak to Pappy's grave. She lowered Mak to the ground and held her hand.

"Where are we going, Mama Rabbit?" Mak asked curiously.

"We're g-g-gonna meet someone special," Rabbit replied. It wasn't long until she saw the gate to the graveyard. She opened it up and headed in the familiar direction where Pappy rested. They soon found themselves in front of his grave. Rabbit smiled sadly at the sight.

"Hi, Pappy. I finally brought Mak to me-me-meet ya. She's gonna stay here with us. She's mah baby," Rabbit whispered. Mak looked around in confusion.

"Where's your pappy, Mama Rabbit? I don't see him," Mak said. Rabbit was astounded at how much she didn't know about the world.

"You grandpappy…passed away a-a-a long time ago, baby. I still m-m-miss at times," Rabbit explained. Mak was silent for a moment.

"I miss my pappy. He's dead to."

Rabbit froze. How did Mak know about T? She looked down at Mak in surprise. Mak stared at the grave in silence.

"You don't have a-a-a pappy, Mak. You have me and-and Mama Tabitha," Rabbit replied quickly. Mak only shook her head gravely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come real soon :D


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha awakes to troubling yet happy times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha is awake and she's not happy about certain things   
> Also, new character :D

She had no idea where she was. All she could see before her was darkness. Was she dead? She was sure she was dead.

Tabitha had been walking in the darkness for what felt like forever. She glanced around for any sign of life and found nothing but the darkness. She sighed tiredly. She was exhausted but couldn't sleep. Starving but couldn't eat. Parched but couldn't drink. There was nothing to do except keep on walking.

She remembered the moments before losing consciousness. She saw T die by Lucy's power. She remembered the terrible pain as the acid blood ate into her. She was sure she was dead.

Tabitha paused. Where was she exactly? She certainly was in the afterlife, but which side. She would be seeing Amanda and other people she knew if she were in Heaven. If she were in Hell, she would be in great pain and terror would surround her. There was nothing here. She hated it. She wanted out. She wanted to feel warm sunshine and cool wind on her face. She wanted to be back at Walter Manor. She wanted to see Rabbit. Tabitha wished she could be with her again.

Tabitha sighed and sat in the darkness. There was nothing else to do here but think. She thought about many things, especially Rabbit.

"I miss you, Rabbit," she whispered to herself.

"What a pitiful sight," a sultry, feminine voice called out from the darkness. Tabitha perked up at the sound. She could see two glowing fiery eyes gazing at her from a distance. Tabitha backed away at the sight. A deep feminine chuckle filled the air.

"Don't be afraid, my dear," the woman purred. Tabitha felt a just of wind rush past her and flinched when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun around to face a rather tall woman. The woman had gray skin to Tabitha's surprise. Her fiery eyes pierced Tabitha's soul. Raven-black hair moved about as if submerged underwater. The woman was clad in a long, purple dress that turned into a mist at the bottom. She was absolutely beautiful despite being intimidating. The woman smirked as she floated closer to Tabitha.

"Welcome to limbo, Miss Tabitha. I am Eris, goddess of discord," Eris announced while holding out her hand to shake. Tabitha was reluctant at first, but decided not to anger the goddess and placed her hand in the goddess'. Eris chuckled as she gently shook her hand. Tabitha could feel her wickedness.

"Why am I here?" Tabitha asked as she let go of Eris's hand.

"I brought you here, my dear. I wanted to see what you were like. I've been watching you ever since you joined my damned husband's circus. You have done a good thing, Tabitha," Eris crowed.

Tabitha stared in disbelief at the goddess who was the supposed wife of T. This was the woman who had put the spell on the circus so that her parents wouldn't remember.

"Is…Is T-"

"Dead? Of course he is, my dear. He's burning in a special Hell I created just for him. I've hated that man ever since he refused to let me keep my babies. You played your part well, dear Tabitha," Eris said cooly. Tabitha noticed her anger at the mention of T. She felt hope at the thought of possibly returning to Walter Manor.

"Are you going to send me home?" Tabitha asked. Eris chuckled and caressed Tabitha's cheek, making her shiver.

"You're already home, dear Tabitha. You're in a coma. You've been contained in a cryotube for over a month. I can feel your distress and longing for your special one. I can feel her pain and longing for you as well. It's satisfying," Eris crowed.

"I want to wake up," Tabitha muttered. She had had enough of being in this coma. Eris chuckled and slowly floated around Tabitha as if inspecting her.

"Are you sure you want to do that? There are difficult times ahead of you. You can never go back to your old home. Everyone you knew won't ever remember you. You know, I like you. You can stay with me forever if you wish. You can be reunited with your dead sister and maybe your parents. I can arrange that," Eris whispered softly in her ear. Tabitha looked at the goddess incredulously. She was talking nonsense. She already had a home

"I'm…not staying here, ma'am. I have found a new home that I wish to return to," Tabitha replied.

"You want to go home, my dear?" Eris asked as she floated closer to Tabitha. Tabitha only nodded affirmative. Eris gently took Tabitha's hands in hers and pulled her close. Fiery eyes stared into her own, burning into her soul.

"Tell me. Are you afraid of heights?" Eris asked softly.

"Wha-" Tabitha was stopped short as Eris suddenly pushed her into a pit of nothingness. She looked up and saw Eris laughing as she slowly disappeared ingot he darkness.

"Time to wake up, Tabitha," Eris laughed.

 

Tabitha woke up to blinding whiteness. A thin sheet of glass that was frosted over with ice was just inches from her face. Wires of all kinds were connected to her head and face. She tried to move but found that she was restrained. Her body was numb front he intense cold of wherever she was. She could barely move. She tried to kick but felt an odd sensation in her legs. She looked at her legs and felt her heart skip a beat. They weren't there. In their place were silver, robotic legs. She noticed her robotic arms and hands and groaned in agony. That bastard did this to her!

Tabitha tried to flex her hands and saw that they worked perfectly. She tried moving her arms and saw that they could work as well. She continued struggling in her bonds until she heard muffled voices outside wherever she was.

A loud hiss filled the air and the glass cover rose up. Warm air gushed in, making Tabitha breathe in a sigh of relief. She could hear the voices clearly now. Blurry figure clad in white scurried about a dimly lit room. One approached her and pressed a warm towel to her forehead.

"Good morning, Miss Tabitha. How re you feeling?" The woman cooed. Tabitha shook her head and tried to focus. It was a Walter Worker, bur she couldn't recognize her.

"Who…Who are you?" Tabitha asked in a raspy voice. The woman giggled softly and undid the straps that kept her in place and removed the wires.

"I'm Alta. Do you need anything, Miss Tabitha?" Alta asked while helping Tabitha sit up in the cryotube. She handed her a grey drew which Tabitha quickly pulled on.

"Food and…water would be nice," Tabitha replied as she felt her stomach growl loudly. Alta nodded in response.

"I'll get you that soon. Can you…properly use your legs and arms? I know this is all sudden but we want to know if you can function before we let you go upstairs," Alta said cautiously while glancing at Tabitha's mechanical legs and arms.

Tabitha looked down at her new legs and arms. She gently kicked and punched the air and saw that they responded well. Tabitha got an idea. 

She slowly stood up. Alta gasped and tried to grab her but stopped when she saw that Tabitha could properly walk. Tabitha smiled. She noticed she walked with a slight limp but knew that it would eventually be fixed. Other Walter Workers stopped at what they were doing and watched curiously.

"Oh! This is great. Maddie, let everyone know that Miss Tabitha is awake and well," Alta chimed.

The one named Maddie, a Walter Worker who was known to work closely with Rabbit, smiled and rushed off.

Tabitha looked around the area. It looked like a laboratory. It felt more friendly and welcoming in a way. There was no smell of blood. Only the smell of oil was heavy in the air. Tabitha felt a wave of exhaustion suddenly take over.

"Where…Where am I?" Tabitha asked.

"You're in the laboratories that lie beneath Walter Manor. Miss Tabitha….are you okay?" Alta asked once she noticed Tabitha's weakened state.

"I'm tired," Tabitha mumbled. She fell into darkness hearing Alta's voice frantically asking for assistance.

 

"Wake up, Miz Tabitha," a soft voice cooed. 

Tabitha felt a cool finger poke her side.

"Don't bother her, The Jon," another soft voice scolded gently. Tabitha recognized that voice.

Tabitha woke up to find herself in a different room. She immediately recognized it as the infirmary.

Tabitha looked to her side and saw a strange figure sitting at her bedside. It was The Jon. She remembered seeing him in Diablo's laboratory. Sky blue optics gazed down at her curiously. His faceplates shifted into an overjoyed smile as he squealed in delight.

"She's awake, Fluttershy! She's awake!" He exclaimed happily.

"Already?" The voice of Fluttershy asked. Tabitha watched as Fluttershy came into view. She was cleaning some tool which she quickly set aside. The winged girl smiled at the sight of Tabitha.

"W-What happened?" Tabitha asked.

"You went back to sleep after waking up after over a month of sleep. I didn't know humans could do that. Humans sure are fascinating," The Jon mused.

"You were just tired, Miss Tabitha. That happens a lot to people who go into comas. Are you well rested now?" Fluttershy asked. Tabitha nodded. Her stomach growled violently.

"Can I get something to eat?" Tabitha asked.

"We're having a banquet in a few hours, Miss Tabitha. It's in honor of the good future we all have right now. Peter announced it this morning when you first woke up. He wants everyone there," Fluttershe explained.

Tabitha nodded and gasped softly as The Jon pulled her into a tight hug.

"We're gonna be best friends now. Oh, little Mak is gonna love ya," the brass automaton chimed while rubbing his cool cheek against her. Tabitha cocked her head in confusion at his statement.

"Who's Mak?" Tabitha asked.

Before The Jon could respond, there was a loud knock at the door.

"I know she's a-a-awake, Flutters. Let me-me in!" The loud voice of Rabbit demanded. Before Fluttershy could get the door, it swung open. Tabitha pulled away from The Jon and slowly stood up. She smiled at the sight of Rabbit as she stood in the doorway. Rabbit smiled back at her, her head ticked to he side. Her mismatched optics were brimming with black tears. 

Rabbit was the first to run forward and pull Tabitha into her arms in a tight embrace. Tabitha couldn't help but let out a soft cry at the action. It had been too long.

"I missed ya, Tabitha," Rabbit whispered in her ear.

"I missed both of you!" The Jon cried out while joining the hug. The two didn't object.

Tabitha noticed Fluttershy looking on with a frown. She eventually pulled away from the hug and let the winged girl speak.

"There's….something you need to know, Miss Tabitha," Fluttershy said softly. She looked nervous as she gently rubbed a bandaged part of her arm.

"What is it, Fluttershy?" Tabitha asked curiously. Tabitha felt a cool hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Rabbit who had a troubled yet excited look on her faceplates.

"When you faced T…he did something terrible to you. I…I don't want to alarm you, but…pull down the front of your dress for me, please," Fluttershy requested. Tabitha did as she was told and pulled down the front of her dress. She looked down and saw the scar that ran down the middle of her chest. She gasped at the sight.

"What happened?" Tabitha asked worriedly.

Fluttershy looked away, her grip tightened around her bandage.

"She's a sweet girl," Fluttershy muttered while wiping away tears.

"What happened?!" Tabitha cried out. She turned to Rabbit whose faceplates now shifted into a look of weariness. She bit her lip as she was stuck on a thought. She sighed and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"A w-w-wonderful thing has happened, Tabitha. You….You were….impregnated, b-b-but the child…she had more-more human DNA in her system. She looks just like ya, baby. Her name-name-nmae is Makenzi. Mak for short," Rabbit said with a reassuring smile.

Tabitha couldn't stop the look of horror from forming on her face. She shook her head as she groaned. She was too young to have a child! How could they go ahead and keep the thing without her consent first?

Rabbit noticed her discomfort and pulled her into a hug..

"I know this a-a-all seems scary, but it ain't all that b-bad. I can introduce ya to her. She's been dying to m-m-meet ya. Let's go," Rabbit said while leading her out of the infirmary.

Tabitha was in silent shock as sh thought about the fact that she had a child. So much had happened while she was gone. She wasn't ready to be a parent. Eris wasn't lying when she told her that difficult times would unfold if she continued living. Rabbit glanced back at her and smiled lovingly, gently squeezing her hand int he process. She was oddly warm to the touch. Tabitha smiled back and leaned into her side.

"Everything will be-be-be alright, Tabitha," Rabbit chimed while pulling her closer to her side. Tabitha smirked as the automaton placed a cool hand on her shoulders as they made their way up a multitude of stairs.

They finally stopped stopped at the fourth floor and went down a long hallway that ended at an open doorway. Rabbit went ahead first and looked in. She signaled for Tabitha to come closer. Tabitha looked in and saw her.

Mak was busy picking out and putting on different wigs. She looked like she could be around seven years old. The girl hummed a child's tune in the process of going through different wigs. Mak wore a blue dress that failed at hiding her raptor-like legs and feet. She had a ridged spine that gently protruded out of her dress. A black, spiked tail swished around lazily as she went through many different wigs. She finally grabbed a short red-haired wig and placed in on her head. Mak paused and turned to face Rabbit and Tabitha. Tabitha could see the resemblance to herself in Mak's face. Large red eyes similar to her remaining red eye gazed curiously at her. Mak smiled, revealing tiny razor-sharp teeth as she ran forward.

"Mama Tabitha!" She cried out as she hugged Tabitha. Tabitha grunted in surprise at the girl's strength as she hugged her tightly. She wanted to be in awe at her newfound daughter, but she frightened her. She looked human, but she was something different. A hybrid. An abomination.

"I'm so glad you're alright, Mama Tabitha. Mama Rabbit has told me all about you," Mak chimed.

Tabitha couldn't help but smile at her innocence. She looked around Mak's room. A multitude of drawings littered the floor along with crayons and markers. A cabinet decorated with a wide range of wigs laid next to the large bed. A large wardrobe was open with many dresses within.

Tabitha wanted to pull away from Mak but the girl held on tight. The girl giggled as Tabitha began to struggle.

"Mak. What d-d-did I tell ya about grabbing others?" Rabbit asked in a scolding manner. Mak quickly let go of Tabitha and looked down at her clawed feet in shame.

"To not to," Mak whispered.

"Good. Now, you g-g-get downstairs. It's almost time for-for dinner," Rabbit cooed.

Mak smiled and rushed out of the room. Tabitha watched as she disappeared down the hall.

"Well? What do-do-do ya think of her?" Rabbit asked.

"She seems sweet. I'm just….not sure about all of this, Rabbit. It's just so sudden," Tabitha replied while pinching the bridge of her nose. She wasn't ready to be a mother to a thing that was forced into her. She felt sick at the thought.

"It'll be-be alright, Miz Tabitha," Rabbit said while pulling Tabitha close. Tabitha smiled softly as she wrapped her arms around Rabbit. If Rabbit was happy with , Mak, then she might as well get used to her.

"Do ya know what ya n-n-need, baby?" Rabbit asked with a mischievous smirk.

"What do I need?" Tabitha smiled back, somewhat knowing where this was going.

"Ya need some g-g-good lovin'," Rabbit purred while kissing the tip of her nose with a giggle. Tabitha blushed a deep crimson at the offer. It was tempting. She suddenly remembered that there was a banquet to attend to first.

"Perhaps later, Rabbit. There's that banquet," Tabitha replied softly.

Rabbit sighed loudly, a puff of steam escaped from her lips with a soft hiss.

"I g-g-guess you're right, baby. I'll get ya later," Rabbit crowed while giving her a gently squeeze. Tabitha smiled as they left the room hand-in-hand.

"Mak looks a bit old for being over a month old," Tabitha commented as they made their way downstairs.

"Mistah Diablo says that she'll reach full ma-ma-maturity in less than a year. She's g-g-growing up too fast. I remember the day I brought her here and the-the events that followed…," Rabbit trailed off. She looked troubled about something.

"What happened?" Tabitha asked.

"Mak…She was such a sweet thing. I didn't know she c-c-could do it….She….killed a little girl when she-she-she was hungry. It was awful. We were able to-to reform her. She's a good girl now," Rabbit explained. Tabitha felt a small wave of terror and disgust rise up as she imagined Mak killing another. It wasn't hard to imagine. Mak did look deadly. Her previous belief that Mak was innocent was long gone now. What if she was still dangerous?

"We're hosting a-a-a New Year's party in a few months. It's dedicated to our return. Anyone who-who-who is a fan and is nearby can come. I'm so-so-so excited! The theme is a masquerade ball," Rabbit rambled on.

Tabitha tuned her out as they walked into the main dining hall. The table was set up in a grand style. A great feats was set out. Many people were already seated and preparing to eat. Tabitha saw the other Walter robots sitting together. They each had a large pitched of iced water set before them with small plates of food. They looked up and smiled.

"Would ya l-l-like to sit next to me, Tabitha?" Rabbit asked.

"Of course," Tabitha replied as they made their way to their seats. Tabitha soon found herself seated in between Rabbit and The Spine. The silver automaton smiled as he patted her shoulder.

"It's great to have you back, Miss Tabitha," he said happily. 3 and 4 poked out of his breast-pocket and waved at her, clicking happily. 

Tabitha smiled back until her attention was brought to the head of the table. Peter Walter VI stood up and looked at everyone in the room. Tabitha looked around and saw many faces, both familiar and unfamiliar.. She saw Mak sitting next to Nyuu. She couldn't help but smile.

"I think it's appropriate that we all have a toast to this momentous occasion. We are now all finally free from that damned circus! This is a time for freedom and happiness. This is a time for new beginnings and friendships. With the money collected from Uncle T after his…passing, some of us can start a new life. I'm sure we can all look forward to a bright future. Let us toast," Peter announced.

Everyone held up their drinks with a cheer.

Tabitha gasped softly and almost spilled her drink as she felt a cool hand roam up her leg and thigh.

_Dammit Rabbit._

She was glad no one else could see what was going on under the table during the toast.

"Not now, Rabbit," Tabitha hissed under her breath. Rabbit smirked and winked at her as she slowly pulled her hand away. Tabitha took a sip of champagne and prepared to eat. The rest of the evening went by like a blur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha is a damn juggernaut XD  
> I'm pretty sure there's one more chapter left :O  
> Maybe two. I'm not sure XD


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha has some unfinished business before she can get started with her new life in Walter Manor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the last chapter, ya'll. It's coming to a close :O
> 
> Warning: Some naughtiness and some violence

Tabitha watched on silently as Rabbit led Mak away to be tucked into bed. She smiled as she watched Rabbit's motherly nature come out whenever she was with the girl. Soon she would be the same with Mak. With time, she would grow to love her.

Tabitha yawned and headed for the Hall of Faces. It was very late. Most people were retiring to their rooms. She muttered goodnight to anyone she came across. She smirked when she noticed a slightly tipsy Regan giggling as The Spine carried her bridal style to the Hall of Wires. 3 and 4 followed close behind them, clicking happily.

"Lucky girl," Tabitha giggled.

Tabitha soon found herself in front of the Hall of Faces and smiled as she went inside the familiar room. Nothing much changed. Everything was the same except for an additional drawer with a note labeled 'Tabitha'. Curious, she walked over and pulled open the first space of storage. She smiled tiredly whens he found pajamas. She groaned in fake annoyance when she noticed some rather revealing lingerie amongst the pajamas. Tabitha pushed them aside and pulled out a red, oversized tank top. Tabitha removed her dress and placed it neatly on a chair. She continued to undress and pulled on the tank top.

She paused when she saw herself in a nearby mirror. Mismatched black and red eyes stared back at her. Her mechanical legs hummed with life as they supported her weight. Her mechanical arms and hands sent chills through her body as she hugged herself. There were even more scars that decorated her pale skin. Tabitha couldn't help but think these changes to her body were a constant reminder of the horror she had to go through. She would always remember and would never be able to forget what the Greatest Show Unearthed did to her. 

Wiping away rising tears, Tabitha turned off the lights and slipped into the warm bed. She was still exhausted and weak from being in a coma.

She glanced at the numerous faceplates of Rabbit that stared right back at her. They all smiled lovingly at her. Tabitha smiled back, but it soon disappeared as the thought of her parents came to her. She just wanted to see them one last time before she started her new life. Just one quick conversation would be great… 

Tabitha's thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door to the Hall of Faces open. She watched as the blue and green from Rabbit's optics bathed her form. Tabitha heard a soft giggle and watched as the blue and green lights moved about the room. She could faintly see Rabbit's outline in the darkness as she undressed and put on pajamas. She could hear her clicks and hisses as she laid down next to her.

"I know I've probably sa-sa-said this a million times by-by now, but I really missed ya, Tabitha," Rabbit whispered while pulling Tabitha close to her chassis. Tabitha cuddled close, letting the familiar heat from Rabbit's boiler calm her. She shivered slightly as she felt cool fingers trace themselves down her spine. It had been so long.

"I miss you as well, Rabbit. I was in a dark and lonely place. It was awful," Tabitha whispered back. She reached out to hold Rabbit's hand and paused when Rabbit grasped it. She saw her mechanical hand and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Rabbit asked, noticing her discomfort.

"It's my new parts. They make me feel…strange," Tabitha muttered. 

"You don't l-l-look strange, Tabitha. You can always wear gloves and long dresses or-or-or pants if they really bother ya. To be honest, I-I-I love your new parts. They'll make ya stronger," Rabbit crowed.

Tabitha smiled. She had to admit she was right, but how did she know that she would be stronger from these few changes?

"Would ya l-l-like to try out your new parts? We can find out-out just how strong you are," Rabbit suggested.

Tabitha knew whats he wanted to do. Before she could respond, Rabbit moved over so that she hovered over Tabitha, pinning her down. Mismatched optics stared down at her longingly. Tabitha grunted loudly as Rabbit first straddled her waist and then laid down across her chest. She was still heavy, but Tabitha noticed the weight wasn't as bas as before.

"Can ya handle may weight, b-b-baby?" Rabbit asked with a soft chuckle as she nuzzled Tabitha's cheek.

"I-I think so," Tabitha sighed. Rabbit smiled mischievously before going for her neck. 

Tabitha was surprised that she could hold her up until she heard a soft whining noise in her mechanical legs. She quickly found herself being slowly crushed underneath the automaton's weight. She gasped for breath as Rabbit kissed her neck. Rabbit noticed and immediately pulled away.

"I'm so sorry, Tabitha! I was-was-was too excited. I should've known that were still so-so-so weak," Rabbit apologized while pulling Tabitha into a hug. Tabitha could tell she was really holding back in the lovemaking business. She knew Rabbit could easily crush her in the act and was willing to tone it down just for her sake. Tabitha preferred it toned down. It was much more fun.

"It's okay, Rabbit. I'll get stronger over time," Tabitha replied softly.

She could hear Rabbit's faceplates shifting into a smile at her statement.

"You're right. Only t-t-time can tell when I'll no-no-no longer havta hold back when lovin' ya. I'll really g-g-give it ta ya when that time comes," Rabbit purred while pulling her into a kiss. Tabitha sighed softly at the mixed taste of sweetened copper, rubber, and ice. Hot steam poured into her throat and filled her lungs. She missed the taste. She missed everything about moments like these.

Tabitha finally pulled away and cuddled close so that she rested her head against Rabbit's shoulder. Cool hands slowly rubbed her back, sending lovely chills down her spine.

"I-I have a special surprise for ya tomorrow," Rabbit chimed after a few minutes of cuddling. Tabitha was only half-listening to her. She was slowly drifting into sleep. The last thing she remembered was listening to Rabbit hum to herself as she held her close.

 

"Wake up, sleepyhead," a familiar voice crooned. Tabitha smiled in response when she felt cool lips kiss her neck. A cool, slender arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close.

Tabitha opened her eyes and…she froze. The woman lying next to her was not Rabbit. This was a human.

Tabitha couldn't deny that this stranger was absolutely beautiful. Long ebony hair hung down to her shoulders. Hazel eyes looked over Tabitha with amusement. It was obvious that she was wearing a lot of makeup. The woman was dressed in a black and white striped dress. She was gorgeous.

The woman chuckled at Tabitha's shocked expression and took a drag out of an E-cigarette.

"Well? What do ya think?" The woman asked while blowing a puff of smoke into Tabitha's face. It was unnaturally hot and didn't smell like cigarette smoke. Something about the woman and her voice felt so familiar to Tabitha.

"Who…Who are you?" Tabitha finally asked. The woman giggled as another puff of smoke escaped from her bright red lips with a soft hiss.

"It worked. It re-re-really worked!" The woman cried out happily. Tabitha gasped softly as she realized who this woman was.

"Rabbit?" Tabitha whispered.

"Correct," Rabbit chimed while taking a drag and blowing more steam into her face.

"Why are disguised as a human?" Tabitha asked. What was going on to cause Rabbit to make herself look like this? Rabbit chuckled and stood up to walk over to a nearby mirror to look at herself. She seemed pleased at her reflection.

"We're going out t-t-today, Miz Tabitha. We've been trapped here for too long. It's time to finally be-be-be free!" Rabbit cheered. Tabitha immediately thought about seeing her parents. This was her chance to finally see them after so long. Tabitha grinned from ear to ear and embraced Rabbit.

"You should totally check out the-the other guys. They look ridiculous," Rabbit giggled.

"Okay. Just give me a moment to get dressed," Tabitha replied while going through her drawer. She could feel Rabbit's gaze on her as she picked out a pair of black dress pants and a blood-red dress shirt. She pulled out a pair of long, black and red gloves and put them all on. Once she was done, she turned back to Rabbit who looked with a playful smirk.

"Absolutely beautiful," she cooed. Tabitha blushed. She was glad Rabbit could look past all of her deformities. Tabitha took Rabbit by the hand and led her out.

 

Tabitha sat uncomfortably between two heavily disguised robots in the red and black limousine taken from Uncle T's garage. She looked to each side of her. They sure did look convincing. The Spine and Hatchworth sat with her, keeping her separated from Rabbit who sat across from them.

"It was a joke, ya d-d-dummins," Rabbit pouted while taking a long drag from her E-cigarette and blowing steam and smoke out the window.

"We know you love Tabitha, Rabbit. Just…keep it in the bedroom," The Spine muttered. Tabitha giggled, making Rabbit smirk and The Spine shake his head. Hatchworth watched on with a look of confusion. Tabitha's smile soon faded as she thought of what she was going to do. 

"Is everything alright back there?" The voice of Steve called out from the driver's seat.

"Everything's fine, Steve. Don't forget to call me Davis while we're out," The Spine replied.

"I'm Sam," Hatchworth chimed as he took a quick drag.

"Isabella," Rabbit crowed. The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

 

"Is this the place, Miss Tabitha?" Steve asked while glancing out the window. Tabitha smiled grimly at the sight of her home. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for.

"It is," Tabitha replied while stepping out of the limousine with Rabbit following.

"Good luck, girls. I'll be back in an hour," Steve said before driving off.

Tabitha paused as she stood before her home. Memories came flooding in, giving her a bittersweet feeling in her stomach.

"You can d-d-do this, Tabitha," Rabbit chimed while giving her a reassuring squeeze of the hand.

"Oh, ya might need these," Rabbit said while handing her a pair of dark sunglasses. Tabitha remembered her mismatches eyes and smiled in gratitude before taking them and putting them on.

She took a deep breath and approached the door. She knocked three times and listened for any noise from within. She heard footsteps and the door opened. It was her mother. Tabitha gasped softly at the sight of her. It had felt like ages since she last saw her. 

Her mother brushed away a strand of brown hair from her face and looked at the duo curiously.

"Can I help you?" She asked. Tabitha felt her heart sink. It was true. The spell really did work.

"Ah…Do you have a moment to talk with us, mom-I mean ma'am?" Tabitha asked, mentally cursing herself. Her mother frowned when she saw Rabbit take a drag from her E-cigarette.

"Your…friend will have to stay outside if she's going to smoke, but you can come in, sweetie," she said while opening the door a bit wider for her.

"I can wait," Rabbit said while sitting on the ground. giving Tabitha a thumbs up. Tabitha smiled and turned to walk in. She was led to a living room where she was then seated.

"I'll make us some beverages, sweetie. I'll be right back," her mother chimed while heading into the kitchen.

Tabitha looked around. She couldn't help but smile. Her smile disappeared when she looked at the photos around her. They were family photos, but neither she nor her sister were in them. It looked like they were photoshopped out of the pictures and her parents looked like they were posing with odd gaps between them.

"No evidence," she muttered. 

Tabitha continued to sit in silence before her mother walked in with a tray of tea. She remembered always spending quality time with her mother while drinking tea.

"Do you like tea?" Her mother asked while pouring a cup for her.

"Yes, ma'am," Tabitha replied politely while taking the cup and having a sip. Chamomile. Her favorite.

"You don't have to wear those sunglasses, sunglasses," her mother commented as she watched her.

"I'd rather have them on," Tabitha replied quickly.

"Hmm. What's your name?" Her mother asked. This was it.

"It's…Tabitha," she said as confidently as she could.

"Tabitha. What a pretty name. Sounds like something I would name my daughter," her mother mused. Tabitha couldn't help but smile.

"What can I call you?" Tabitha asked.

"Oh! My name is Victoria Masters," Victoria replied and continued, "So, what do you want to talk about, Miss Tabitha?"

No turning back now.

"Do you…Do you have any children, Mrs. Masters?" Tabitha asked. 

Victoria was taking sip and stopped to eye Tabitha suspiciously. There was a sadness in her eyes that shattered Tabitha's heart.

"They….They were a…a miscarriage and a stillborn. The doctor said I couldn't have children after that and I can't adopt," Victoria muttered sadly as she wiped away a tear. Tabitha could feel herself tearing up as well.

"I…I have something to tell you, Victoria," Tabitha said. She froze when her mother glared at her, tears streaming down her face. Tabitha could have sworn she saw a fiery orange glow within her brown eyes.

"You're trying to guilt me into buying whatever it is you're selling," Victoria hissed.

"No! It's not like that, mom-I mean Victoria," Tabitha replied, shocked at her mother's anger.

"You did this on purpose! You hurt me!" Victoria screamed. The glow within her eyes was brighter now. Tabitha realized it was Eris' spell kicking in.

"I'm sorry! I just wanted you to know-"

I'm not interested!"

'I'm your daughter!" Tabitha cried out. She hoped to find some recognition in her eyes, but found only rage. Victoria shook her head and smiled grimly.

"Sure you are, sweetie. I bet you tell that to everyone. Get out!" Victoria shrieked. Tabitha stayed rooted to the spot, mortified at the intensity of the spell and her mother's rage.

"I said get out!" Victoria screamed while slapping Tabitha across the face, knocking her sunglasses off. Tabitha cried out and shut her eyes tight, not wanting her mother to see her eyes.

"Get out!" Victoria hissed. Tabitha winced as she felt a kick to the ribs.

The door suddenly slammed open and an enraged cry filled the air. Tabitha refused to open her eyes.

"You. Hurt. My. Girl," the voice of Rabbit growled.

"Get her out of my house!" Victoria screamed.

"Nobody hurts m-m-my girl," Rabbit hissed.

Tabitha felt cool hands gently grab her and pull her to her feet. She was quickly let out. Tabitha opened her eyes and looked back at her mother sadly. She saw the orange glow slowly disappear as Victoria stared at her in horror.

"I'll miss you," Tabitha whispered.

 

Tabitha was silent the rest of the day as she thought about what had happened. The encounter with her mother was a disaster. She had discovered the effects of the spell that had been put over the Greatest Show Unearthed and they were quite effective. She couldn't cry. She had done enough of that in the past.

Tabitha laid silently in bed. She had retired early, not wanting to face the others at dinner.

Her mother still didn't remember her. Of course trying to talk wouldn't work. This was all the work of a madman's wish and the spell of a goddess. She cursed them. They were to blame for her pain and suffering.

Tabitha's thoughts were cut short when she felt movement next to her. She shifted around so that she faced Rabbit who had been watching her silently.

"Ya g-g-gotta let it go, baby. There was no-no-no way your mama would remember you. They don't remember y-y-you. Your old life is-is-is over. Ya need to move on w-w-with your new life here," Rabbit whispered. 

Tabitha only nodded in response. She was right. She had to move on. She had to start over. She had a new family to focus on now. Perhaps this new life would be better.

"So, what do ya wanna do-do-do now, baby?" Rabbit asked with a playful smirk on her lips as she wrapped her arms around Tabitha's waist. Tabitha couldn't help but let out a soft giggle as she cuddled closer.

"What do you have in mind?" Tabitha replied as she felt a cool hand slowly roam up and under her shirt.

"Let's move forward," Rabbit purred as she began nibbling playfully at her neck. Tabitha shivered with delight at the action.

Tabitha soon forgot about her old life as she gave in to the nibbles and kisses.

 

Tabitha laid awake late that night, staring into the darkness. Rabbit was deep in stasis next to her, keeping a protective yet loving grip on her. 

So many things had happened to her in the span of only a few months. She shifted around so that she faced Rabbit better. She looked so calm and content in stasis.

Tabitha smiled. She adored her.

She had a new family who loved her now. She could never go back. She could only go forward now. This was her new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you who have followed me in the process of this fic and sent all sorts of love and support. It's been really fun seeing what you guys think of this wild fic :D
> 
> There's gonna be a sequel coming real soon and a whole bunch of little one shots in between
> 
> Thank you for reading The Greatest Show Unearthed!


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